13 May 2013
Members of Congress, Meet the Campbells!
"Let me tell you a little about Jio’s history. Try to put yourself in her place. She was born in Mexico, and was brought across the border to the U.S. by her parents at the age of 3. A few years later, her uncle died in the U.S., and her parents wanted to bury him in Mexico. So they brought Jio to Mexico with them for a few months, and then crossed her back to the U.S. Surely, no one would want to penalize a young child for unlawfully entering the U.S. with her parents. Right? Fast forward to age 23. Jio is a senior at one of the Cal State universities. She is also a Marathoner and an All-American Girl. ... The rest of the story was told by Jio in her narrative of her 16 months in Mexico, or if not, you’ll have to wait for the movie Suffice to say that on January 5, 2013, Jio’s 25th birthday, she arrived back in the U.S. I finally got to meet Jio, Ryan and their one-year-old son on Mothers Day. They are a wonderful family! I still can’t begin to comprehend how our national interest was served by separating Ryan from Jio and their newborn son for over one year. But, optimist that I am, I hope that Congress will remedy this situation for couples in the future so that what happened to Ryan and Jio Campbell never happens to anyone else." - Carl Shusterman, May 2013.
- Ryan and Jio Campbell, Their Son and Attorney Carl Shusterman