Editorial: Girls’ ordeal should never be repeated

Monday, Jan. 31, 2005 | 9:13 a.m.

The injustice was apparent the moment Emma and Mariam Sarkisian were taken from their family in Las Vegas and placed in a federal holding cell in Los Angeles. Emma, 18, is a recent graduate of Palo Verde High School and Miriam, 17, is still a student there. Immigration authorities learned last July that the two had no legal status to be in this country. After receiving word that Armenia, the girls' country of birth, would accept them, officials on Jan. 14 abruptly took them to Los Angeles and prepared to deport them.

We were among many people and organizations calling upon the federal government to use discretion in this case. The girls were brought to this country by their father when they were 4 and 3. This is the only country they've ever known. Immigration law is not so strict that discretion cannot be used when warranted. As we saw it, how in the name of justice could two girls be torn from their American home and dropped, penniless, into a country whose customs and language are alien to them, and where they have no family, friends or jobs awaiting?

Twice the girls were minutes away from being boarded onto a flight, and only fortuitous circumstances -- including one day when the plane was full -- prevented their departure. With publicity and appeals from the public growing, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., intervened on the girls' behalf. He called Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, whose department oversees immigration services. After two weeks in custody, the girls were released and they rejoined their family on Friday. Their case is still under review, but it's likely now that they will be able to remain here and eventually gain citizenship. "In the end, common sense and good people -- they prevail in America," said the girls' overjoyed father.

This is a quote that should be posted in block letters in all immigration offices. Occasionally a case will come along such as this one, where strict enforcement of the law would result in an obvious injustice. There should be a review procedure for such cases, so that justice doesn't hinge on the timing of a well-placed phone call.