A Korean-American woman Monday filed a civil suit against Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, claiming that stress from immigration authorities' refusal to issue her husband a green card led to the miscarriage of their baby, according to Yonhap News.
In the $20 million suit, Kim Sook-ja said the Baltimore immigration office made her husband wait four and half years before finally granting him permanent residency recently.
Kim said she lost the baby when the immigration office rejected her husband's application for the sixth time.
She said it usually takes about one year for a foreigner to obtain a green card after marrying an American citizen.
The case is unprecedented. Under relevant laws, Chertoff is required to respond to the plaintiff, Yonhap said.