After the sting at the Cennex refinery a few weeks ago, there was a great deal of community reaction and concern about illegal immigrants in Montana.

One local woman has a very personal connection to this issue. Tracy Rios Gomez has strong opinions on immigration laws in this country. She's become an expert on the issues, not from study, but from personal experience. Tracy Rios Gomez's husband Francisco was deport in January of 2007 after he was pulled over for running a red light. Tracy was seven months pregnant when she said goodbye to him in Mexico.

She says, "I'm pretty much raising our son as a single mother even though I'm married." Since then, they've been wrapped-up in red tape. Tracy says, "because of his unlawful entry he's not eligible for a Visa." That means they have to go through a Visa interview, get rejected, then file for a waiver and hope for the best. They started the process more than a year ago, and the earliest that Francisco can get a ticket back to the states is May. The fact that he has a wife and son makes no difference. Tracy adds, "It's not like before 9/11 when you could just become a citizen after you marry."

Francisco has only seen his son Diego once, six months after he was born. Tracy was able to take a trip to Mexico with Diego, but the trip was short. Tracy says, "He just had his wife and his son there then they had to leave." People ask Tracy why she doesn't just move to Mexico. She explains, "He (Francisco) has walked out of the house and walked into the kitchen and the police were standing in the kitchen with an AK47 to his mom's head for no reason except they wanted ten dollars. I don't want my son to grow up in that." The corruption, the violence, the poverty; Tract says that's why Francisco snuck into the U.S. in the first place, to earn money and help his family.

Tracy says, "If any of our politicians spent a week down where my husband is at they would understand why people are running across the border." So the Rios Gomez's wait. They wait to become a family again. Tracy hopes that her son will remember his father. Tracy says, "Every morning and ever night where's dadda. Where's dadda. Then he laughs, but he just knows him by a picture."

If Francisco gets a visa waiver he can come home in May. His case could either be put in a file for further review which will take months. Worst-case-scenario, he could be rejected. If that happens he can't apply again for ten years.