A bill for the relief of Hotaru Nakama Ferschke.

This bill granted permanent residency status to Hotaru Nakama Ferschke, the Japanese widow of U.S. Marine Sergeant Michael Ferschke. Because the couple married by proxy while the Sergeant was deployed to Iraq—just weeks before he was killed in combat—existing immigration laws did not recognize the marriage for visa purposes. By designating her as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, this legislation allowed her to live in the United States with her son to be near her late husband’s family.