Larchmont family says they are facing deportation over a paperwork mistake

After legally immigrating to the U.S. and building a life in Larchmont, Arjeta Kalni and Eduard Beqaj are essentially undocumented.

News 12 Staff

Mar 19, 2021, 6:10 PM

Updated 1,366 days ago

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A Larchmont family is facing a legal nightmare as they fight to stay in the country.
The family says they are facing deportation over a paperwork mistake.
After legally immigrating to the U.S. and building a life in Larchmont, Arjeta Kalni and Eduard Beqaj are essentially undocumented.
The couple from Albania is being told to self deport by April 20 after a mix-up with their passports invalidated their U.S. visas.
The legal nightmare started when Kalni tried to switch jobs in December 2020
Their visas, which were approved through the end of this year, expired last April when their foreign passports expired.
Although renewed before the expiration date, their attempts to rectify the situation were denied last month.
The couple would have to leave the country for up to 10 years before legally reentering, which would uproot their two American-born children and destroy the successful business they've built.
It would result in the layoff of five employees.
"There must be someone who can help us, there must be someone who listens to honest and hardworking people," says Kalni.
The couple reached out to Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
His office tells News 12 their case is being looked into by their casework team, which is working on getting the couple's visa extended.