In Texas
My sister married 2 years ago to a man who had been in the US illegally for a number of years. This was a "love match" and not a scam of some sort. He has since been deported. She does have an immigration lawyer, and they are attempting to (1) have him re-enter legally and (2) gain appropriate legal residency. As part of that process the attorney suggested that all adult members of the family write letters, which basically amount to personal references. In particular she has said that they should state how long we have known him, the impact his absence has had on his wife, and the burden this has put on her financially, medically, and mentally. In and of itself that seems ok to me. Probably misguided, but ok. The attorney also stipulated that my sister needs to provide proof that she is from a large family, and that for her to leave the country and move to be with him in Mexico would be an impossible burden. As part of the "proof" the attorney has told her that he requires copies of our (meaning all 8 of her brothers and sisters) birth certificates in order to show that we are all her legal siblings and are all US citizens.
That seems completely bogus to me, and I have told my sister so. It makes no sense that our citizenship status should have any bearing on his case. And I fail to see why her attorney would ever need copies of our birth certificates. Has anyone EVER heard of this so-called requirement?

