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In this Feb. 2, 2016, image, Naila Amin, 26, looks out from a classroom window at Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y. According to data provided to The Associated Press, the U.S. approved thousands of requests by men to bring child and teenage brides from another country. “My passport ruined my life,” said Naila Amin, a dual citizen from Pakistan who grew up in New York City. She was forcibly married at 13 in Pakistan and applied for papers for her 26-year-old husband to come to the country. “People die to come to America. I was a passport to him. They all wanted him here, and that was the way to do it.” (Kathy Kmonicek/AP, file)

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The Immigration and Nationality Act does not set minimum age requirements for the person making the request or for that person's spouse or fiancee. By contrast, to bring in a parent from overseas, a petitioner has to be at least 21 years old.

By COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press January 12, 2019