With a little help from his congressman, a Salina man has been reunited with his wife, who was deported earlier this spring.

According to Kansas First District Congressman Dr. Roger Marshall’s Office, in July they received a letter from the daughter of 72-year-old Carl Hardesty, who shared her father’s ongoing case with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Hardesty had been trying to reunite with his wife, Maria, who was deported in April. He had spent more than $10,000 in legal fees for his wife to attain legal status over the past four years without success.

With his health failing, Hardesty was losing hope. In June, his attorney filed all of the proper paperwork for Maria to return legally. However, the normal processing times for these applications can take two years or longer.

Once Marshall’s office opened the case, they worked with USCIS, and the State Department, to expedite Maria’s petition to re-apply for admission into the states. Within just a few weeks, there was a favorable decision on Maria’s return.

Maria Hardesty returned to Salina August 13th and has since applied for a permanent resident card in hopes of obtaining citizenship.