A former Galva couple appeared on the “60 Minutes” TV show Sunday night, explaining why they’d like to see their daughter-in-law be allowed to stay in the U.S.
Ron and Cindy Engstrom, who lived in Galva in the 1970s and ’80s while Ron taught at Galva High School and Cindy worked at a Galva bank, were both seen in a segment called “A Loss of Love and Country.”
The 11-minute segment detailed the struggles of some foreign-born people who are facing possible deportation because they were unable to complete U.S. citizenship paperwork before their spouses died.
The Engstrom’s daughter-in-law, Diana Engstrom, has been battling this issue for over three years, since soon after her husband, Todd, a 1987 Galva High School graduate died. He was killed in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004, just a few months after marrying, while working as a private contractor for the U.S. Army. He trained Iraqi soldiers.
Todd was killed when a rocket propelled grenade hit the truck he was riding in.
“Todd was killed instantly. It’s the kind of call that no parent should have to receive,” Ron told “60 Minutes” reporter Bob Simon.
“Our son gave his life for this country, and our government should stand behind him and do what he would have wanted,” Cindy Engstrom added when asked by Simon what she’d like viewers to understand.
The plights of Diana and two other women were shown during the segment. The Engstrom footage was about 90 seconds long. Ron and Cindy, of Athens, Ill., a small town near Springfield, and Diana, of Bloomington, are all quoted during the segment.
Filming took place last summer, when the Engstroms flew to New York City to be interviewed by Simon.
Diana met Todd in Kosovo while he was there with U.N. peacekeeping forces. They were married Dec. 29, 2003. After their marriage, the Engstroms filed paperwork to gain permanent U.S. resident status for Diana. But Todd’s death halted that process. He could no longer be his wife’s residency sponsor.
But “there was no question that they were in love, that they were happy; that they were gonna build a future together. No question,” Ron said.
Ron also told how he and his family were stunned to learn soon after Todd’s death that Diana may need to leave the U.S.
“Disbelief. We had buried our son. Was in the shock of that. We were just in shock again,” explained Ron, whose parents, John and Polly Engstrom, reside in Alpha.
Three years ago, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama introduced special legislation in the Senate on Diana Engstrom’s behalf. A similar bill was filed in the House by Rep. Lane Evans. None of the legislation has come to a vote and will not be voted on this year.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agreed to halt deportation proceedings against Diana while the legislation is pending.
Meanwhile, a class action lawsuit was filed against the government by Diana and about 20 others who face the same problem. That lawsuit is still pending in federal court in Los Angeles.
The Springfield State Journal Register contributed to this report.
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