Deportation fear leads to marriage boom in US

Brought together by love or perhaps a new United States immigration law, hundreds of couples crowded into a stifling hot corridor to get a 30 dollar marriage license -- and perhaps a better shot of staying in the country.

Overwhelmed security guards -- confronted with a sea of Sikh turbans, dreadlocks, saris, and even a few white wedding dresses -- closed ranks on Wednesday in the corridor leading to the 'Chapel' at the Manhattan's city-run marriage bureau.

A fistfight broke out among those in line, giving one man a sore eye.

"This guy cut ahead of me in line, and I said, 'What are you doing?''' said William Jurek, dabbing his raw left eye as people around him pushed and screamed.

With an April 1 deportation deadline looming, some illegal aliens hope marriage to a US citizen will give them a better chance of staying in America.

Marriage to a US citizen does not guarantee a passport: couples must prove they're together for real. But the new deportation deadline apparently has driven up the number of weddings.

In Manhattan last month, there were 2,109 marriages, an 88 per cent increase over the same time last year.

New York's not alone. Roberto Reboso, in charge of one of the eight metro-dade marriage offices in Miami, said 2,532 marriage certificates were issued in January, up from 1,973 during the same time last year.

"And we are even busier this month,'' Reboso said, adding that the 75 marriages at his office on Thursday set a single-day record for the area, with many of the newlyweds coming from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Under the new regulations, illegal aliens who want to avoid deportation must be here for 10 years continuously, have no criminal record, and be able to prove that being forced to leave would result in "exceptional and unusual hardship'' to a family member who is either a US citizen or legal permanent resident.

At the Manhattan marriage bureau, children scampered around with flowers as couples made their way through the line.

"Oh, I thought the crowd was because of the holiday '' said Yvonne Chang, 32, throwing a loving look at Paul Yim, 36, before they entered the chapel.

Yim, a cargo transportation manager, is moving to New York from Hong Kong to live with his new wife, who works as a jewelry saleswoman in Chinatown.

Each wedding party exited the Chapel to a big round of applause from others sitting on the rows of plastic chairs.

Those magic three minutes left some a chance to stay in America and -- maybe -- get a green card.

That was all news to some who got caught in Wednesday's marriage mess.

"Whoa crazy'' said Lorna Comrie, a corrections officer who had no idea what had drawn the hordes that hindered her quest for a marriage license.

UNI