Here are some excerpts from an INS study funded by our tax dollars. My comments are in [brackets].
THE "MAIL-ORDER BRIDE" INDUSTRY AND ITS IMPACT ON U.S. IMMIGRATION
Robert J. Scholes, PhD with the assistance of Anchalee Phataralaoha, MA
Undated but retrieved from internet on July 5, 2004
uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstudies/Mobappa.htm
***The existing problems that appear to require some attention involve abuse. On the one hand, the potential husbands might need to be screened. As Sumiko Hennessy, executive director of the Asian Pacific Development Center (anon., 1996), notes, "What you have are older men, people with three divorces, alcohol problems . . .," some of whom have a history of "domestic abuse or problems with the law."
[Wow! This paragraph suggests that older men (doesnt define the ages of such men) are problematic when getting married and this constitutes some sort of abuse. Also, it suggests that men who have had a problem with the law or an alcohol problem or domestic abuse problem should be screened when marrying a woman from another country. Of course no one in their right mind would suggest that an American man wishing to marry an American woman should be screened.]
***While no national figures exist on abuse of alien wives, there is every reason to believe that the incidence is higher in this population than for the nation as a whole. Authorities agree that abuse in these marriages can be expected based on the men's desire for a submissive wife and the women's desire for a better life.
[Even though the author documented his brief report with 55 bibliography sources, he has none for these remarkable statements. Who would these authoritiesEbe? How can abuse be expected based on a mans desire for a submissive wife or a womans desire for a better life? In another part of the report he says the men are generally well educated, have good incomes and good communication skills. Are these the typical wife-beaters?]
***There is no question that many of the alien women who advertise for U.S. husbands are far more interested in gaining permanent residence alien status than in gaining a good marriage. What portion of the women intend to use marriage to gain permanent resident alien status cannot be ascertained, of course, since we cannot know what is in the woman's mind, but a reading of the self-descriptions they offer and their willingness to marry men of advanced age and dubious character attests to this intention.
[This paragraph is a joke. The author surmises (based on what we do not know) that many of the women are green card sharks, but then he says he cannot ascertain how many are green card sharks because it would require mind-reading. He concludes that since many are willing to marry men of advancedEage and dubious character this attests to their foul intentions. How did this author determine the character of the men? What is the definition of dubiousEand how old is advanced ageE And his suggestion that a woman who is willing to marry an older man is indication of fraud is culturally narrow-minded to an extreme degree. Also, if many of the women are green card sharks what's the point of screening the men to weed out the old ones and the ones who may have had a brush with the law.]
***It is interesting to note that, based largely on data provided by the agencies themselves (along with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas report cited above), marriages arranged through these services would appear to have a lower divorce rate than the nation as a whole, fully 80 percent of these marriages having lasted over the years for which reports are available. [The author honestly reports this remarkably good finding but he cannot put it into any context for his report.]
