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Immigration deadline spurs rush to altar FOREST GROVE - When Donora Dominguez and Jaime Mendez tied the knot the other day they did more than start a life together. It was also the beginning of Mendez's path toward legal residency. They said their vows in Judge Bob Browning's office, collapsing into each other's arms for a long hug after the official business. Had they waited another week, Mendez's path to residency might have been steeper. Mendez, 33, is among about 500,000 to 600,000 people across the country taking advantage of a grace period that will allow undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States legally. Monday marks the last day for applicants who arrived illegally or have expired visas to show that jobs or family members bind them to this country. Often, that proof comes from a new marriage. President Bush could issue an executive order extending the deadline, but the White House has not indicated that will happen. In parts of Oregon with large Latino populations, the looming deadline has brought a last-minute flood of immigrants grasping at the opportunity. Social service agencies, immigration lawyers, judges and county clerks report a noticeable increase this month in couples rushing to be wed in time to submit their applications to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "They're very hopeful," said Dick Ginsburg, an immigration attorney in Washington County. "A lot of people are in desperation, living in the shadows and fearing every day they might be apprehended." Normally, people discovered without citizenship papers or proper tourist visas get sent home with orders not to return for at least a decade. To qualify under a new provision, immigrants must have been in the United States by Dec. 21, 2000, and have an immediate family member or employer petition for them by Monday. In most cases, the new policy gives them a chance to pay a $1,000 fee, apply for residency and move on with their lives. Advocates say it will help families stick together and let immigrants concentrate on relationships, education and jobs, rather than worrying about deportation. "The immigration people do something right once in a while," said Browning, one of only a few judges in the Portland area who conduct wedding ceremonies in Spanish. The Gaston municipal judge has married 83 couples since Jan. 1, topping his usual number for a whole year. Calls from Latino couples spiked in February, leaving him curious. "We thought, 'Gosh, what's in the water?' " Browning said. "'Why is everybody getting so moral?' " But the calls kept coming. When Browning saw a news report about Congress' one-time immigration deal, it clicked. Of all the couples he's married this year, most were longtime partners who would have gotten married anyway, although perhaps a few months later, he said. Many counties say they have doled out far more marriage licenses in the past several weeks than during the usual springtime rush. The numbers doubled in Washington County, from eight or nine a day during a typical April to 15 or 18 a day this month. In Hillsboro, Circuit Judge Donald Letourneau performs evening ceremonies when couples ask, but requests are usually few. This week, Letourneau married at least one couple per night - and most wanted to rush their marriage certificate across the street to the county office building. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.