CINCINNATI, May 4 (UPI) -- An Ohio minister with two marijuana convictions in England in the 1970s has won a 30-year legal battle to live permanently in the United States.
Keith Thomas is pastor of the Vineyard Community Church in Springdale, Ohio, near Cincinnati. He was informed Monday that an immigration judge had ruled he could become a permanent resident, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
"You can't imagine what a relief it is," he said.
Thomas's wife, Sandy, is a U.S. citizen and he applied for permission to remain in the country soon after their 1980 marriage. He was turned down because his two drug convictions were seen as signs of moral turpitude.
The couple spent most of their time in England until a change in the U.S. law allowed Thomas to get a visa good for five years. When that expired, he once again took up the legal fight.
Richard Fleischer, Thomas's lawyer, said he argued on the grounds of hardship, and the judge agreed.
"It was a very uphill fight, but sometimes you get to the top," Fleischer said. "This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime cases."
