John Lennon's Battle for the American Dream

As a member of the Beatles, John Lennon is undeniably a British icon. For the second part of his life as a solo artist, he was also very much a New Yorker. However, Lennon’s life as a father, husband, and activist in New York City in the 1970s almost didn’t happen because of his status as an immigrant.

Lennon was already a music legend when he came to the U.S. with wife Yoko Ono in 1971. But he’d run afoul of then-president Richard Nixon, of all people, leading to a five-year immigration battle to allow him to stay in the United States as a permanent resident. Lucky for him, Lennon had the clout and the resources to persist with the case, which became a true legal odyssey, leading to celebrity testimonials, the brief establishment of a fake country, and an influential decision that would have huge effects on immigration law to this day.

Source: Brian Hamill

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