The AHA Foundation informed the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee a year ago about a loophole in immigration law that recognizes the marriages of children as young as 14 years old for immigration purposes.

These marriages are arranged to provide the alien spouses with a basis for obtaining visas they can use to enter the United States as lawful permanent residents, leaving young girls trapped in marriages that have been described as a form of slavery.

When the Committee asked U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services(USCIS) about this, USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna confirmed in a letter dated October 4, 2018, that there are no statutory age requirements associated with a visa petition for a spouse or fiancé.