For those of us either so young or so out of it that we missed it when it happened: Just how did John Lennon and Yoko Ono avoid getting deported by INS in the 1970’s? I am aware Immigration demanded that Lennon and his wife leave the States, and Lennon refused. How did they avoid being forcibly deported? What with John being such a superstar, did attempts to deport the couple turn into media circuses? Did John use his money from his record sales to hire high-powered lawyers? Or was there something else going on? Please give us the Straight Dope.
I remember some drawn out legal process, i.e., lawyers doing something. Can’t remember any more, but there were court hearings, or some such. IIRC.
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Interesting question. I can see avoiding forcible deportation, but were they able to re-enter the US during that period? Nowadays, you might be able to stave off forcible deportation, but you would have a heck of a time getting back into the country.
There were several years of court hearings and in the end the deportation order was overturned. IIRC, John and Yoko stayed in New York, because Yoko was looking for her daughter Kyoko who had been taken by Yoko’s first husband (Kyoko’s father) in violation of their custody arrangement. John and Yoko feared that if they left the US they wouldn’t be allowed back in. Yoko ended up not seeing her daughter again until the mid 1990’s.
I’m sure that public opinion played into the whole affair as well, on both sides. Many people were on Lennon’s side, because they hated Nixon. Many conservative Christians were against Lennon, though, partly for his radical views and partly for his “more popular than Jesus” comment.
why was the INS trying to deport them?
They were both vocal opponents of the Vietnam War and Nixon in general. The INS and FBI tried to make it look like the reason was John’s 1968 British conviction for marijuana possession, but that was probably more of a “public face” to put on it than anything.
As I recall, that was a major issue. Lennon knew that if he left the United States, he would not be allowed to return. So he had to stay in the country while fighting deportation.
Probably worth watching: The U.S. vs. John Lennon.
My brother in law’s father was an immigration lawyer. He often said it is imposable to deport anyone who can afford a good lawyer.
Nitpick: Yoko’s second husband.
The government tried to use the Lennons’ drug bust in London as an excuse to deport them. When their son Sean was born in NYC they finally gave Lennon his green card.