OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The widower of an Omaha police officer killed in the line of duty is trying to provide for his family, but one challenge he faces is a long road to U.S. citizenship. Hector Orozco told the Omaha World-Herald that citizenship for him means being recognized as part of the community where he has worked and paid taxes. His wife, Kerrie Orozco (a native of Walnut, IA), was fatally shot in May.

Hector crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 1999, at age 17. He says leaving was not easy, but it was something he felt was necessary to succeed. U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford is pushing for a law that would expedite the citizenship process for spouses of first responders who are killed on the job. Ashford says his proposal will be called the Kerrie Orozco Act.