May 18 - KGO - The Kenyan widow of a Good Samaritan faces an immigration dilemma. Her husband, Marlin Coats, died trying to save two boys from drowning at Ocean Beach over the weekend. Now she faces deportation.
Jacqueline Coats: "I've been in a relationship with Marlin for the past three years and..."
Jacqueline Coats lost her loved one on Sunday at Ocean Beach. Her husband Marlin jumped into the choppy waters to save two young brothers struggling in a riptide.
The boys survived but he died in the strong currents. Now, his widow, a foreign national from Kenya, stands to lose her foothold in America.
Just four days before his death, Coats had signed papers for his wife to apply for permanent residency.
Thip Ark, attorney: "But before the documents could be filed, he died and that renders the petition invalid because of his death."
Jacqueline Coats now faces deportation.
For her and her in-laws, that would mean yet another tragedy.
Jacqueline Coats: "He was going to be the father of my children and his family is my family you know, and they are all I know."
Robert Coats, drowning victim's father: "I've lost a son. I've lost a part of my life. A part of my heart. Now they're trying to take away another part."
What complicates her case is that before their marriage, Coats was already fighting deportation because she had violated terms of her foreign student visa.
The fact that Marlin died trying to be a Good Samaritan may influence the judge. To bolster her case, her attorney wants the two yet unidentified boys to come forward.
Coats' attorney is also asking Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to introduce a bill that would enable her client to stay for humanitarian reasons. Pelosi's office tells us they're reviewing the request.
For details on the immigration laws pertaining to Jacqueline Coats' case, read The Back Story.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...cal&id=4185769 
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