ICE detains Iranian national in Alabama 2 months before wife gives birth

BIRMINGHAM, Ala (WIAT) – Newlyweds find themselves separated after waiting five years for marriage approval by the United States.

Morgan Gardner grew up in Locust Fork. It’s a small Blount Count town, about 45 minutes from downtown Birmingham. In 2020, Gardner picked up a controller and began playing Call of Duty. While playing online, she met Ribvar Karimi.

Retired US Air Force colonel says missiles from Iran were more symbolic than retaliatory

For the next five years, Gardner and Karimi would meet in Istanbul, Turkey and spend weeks together. Eventually an online relationship kindled into a loving marriage.

“He applied for the K1 visa in August of 2023, it took 15 months just to process our visa application,” Gardner said…

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