cannabisnews.com: Pastor Granted Citizenship Pastor Granted Citizenship Posted by FoM on November 24, 1999 at 20:01:13 PT By Ben Dobben Source: NJO NewsFlash A Canadian-born pastor whose four-year quest for U.S. citizenship was stymied by a teen-age marijuana conviction has finally been granted his wish. "I've always felt like an American and now I'm an American -- it feels like a ton lifted off of you," Steven Mullenix said Wednesday from Canada, where he reluctantly returned in August with his wife and two young children. "I can't wait to get back to the United States." Mullenix, 37, was interviewed by immigration agents last week and learned Tuesday that he had been granted citizenship. The Immigration and Naturalization Service "obtained the necessary evidence and the testimony required for him to satisfy the burden of proof," a district official said, but declined to discuss the specific reasons for the agency's change of heart. Mullenix was suspended for a year from the Assemblies of God for writing an abusive letter to immigration officials last summer. Losing his ministry in Newark, a village near Rochester, forced him to move back to Ontario, where he works in an auto plant. The church will allow Mullenix to apply again for his ministerial credentials on Jan. 1. Mullenix plans to complete a theology degree, become a chaplain and return to the United States next year to minister at a prison. The son of an American who moved to Canada at age 14, Mullenix can trace his American lineage to 1671. A distant grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War, and his grandmother still owns a 70-acre farm in Arcanum, Ohio, where their forebears settled 200 years ago. Mullenix was caught with more than an ounce of marijuana at age 18 in 1981 and spent three months in a Canadian jail. He kicked drugs at 22, turned his life around and had his conviction vacated in 1992. Under U.S. immigration laws crafted to exclude Nazi war criminals, terrorists and other undesirable people, Mullenix was deemed "excludable" for life. Anyone arrested with more than 1 ounce of banned drugs is viewed as a potential dealer. Mullenix realized his predicament after moving to New York on a five-year, religious-worker visa in 1995. He sued in federal court to try to force a change in the immigration law but now that he's won citizenship, he said his lawsuit becomes moot. Mullenix said his family and his belief in God sustained him through "some really low times." "You always feel light at the end of the tunnel when you're a person of faith," he said. Please send any questions or comments to: newsflash nj.com. Published: November 24, 1999Copyright 1999 Associated Press.Related Article:Pastor Haunted by Teen-age Drug Conviction - 8/06/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2381.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by BigAb on November 25, 1999 at 03:27:21 PT: To FoM Hey, back at you ! Happy bird day !!!!This is always my first stop after "coffee".....I wish this board was SSSOOOOOOOO RICH that they could send copies of ALL the responses to the capital.........It might do our elected officals good to know what the people REALLY think ! Bird Day to all, and to all a good "fight" [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 24, 1999 at 20:42:52 PT: Happy Thanksgiving! Just a thank you from me to all of you for supporting Cannabis News! Have a great Holiday!http://server5.ezboard.com/fdrugpolicytalkhowtomakewebpages.showMessage?topicID=3.topic [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: