Anyone know if this cartoon about jeb bush is accurate?

[hedgehog]

http://www.gocomics.com/lacucaracha (March 23)

[brush]

1. His wife is of Latin descent

[hedgehog]

2. I knew that - but the cartoon implies she obtained citizenship

by marriage to an American citizen - and that prior to that, she was an undocumented alien.

[zbdent]

3. Not sure about that, but wasn't she the one who was

investigated for not declaring thousands of dollars worth of merchandise when "returning" to the U.S. from travel? And Y.A. (Yet Another) got her case "cleared" ...

[csziggy]

6. Columba Bush was caught at customs and paid a fine

Bush: Wife meant to hide shopping spree from me
Mrs. Bush was given two chances to declare the correct amount of tax owed on her Paris purchases.

By JO BECKER
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 22, 1999

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday that his wife misled U.S. Customs officials about $19,000 in new clothing and jewelry she brought into the country because she didn't want him to know how much she had spent on her five-day Paris shopping trip.

Forced to explain his wife's actions at the Atlanta airport Thursday, Bush said Monday that the episode had disrupted their family life. His wife, Bush said, feels "horrible about this."

"It was a difficult weekend at our house," Bush said.

On Friday, the Bushes disclosed that Columba Bush had paid a $4,100 fine and was briefly detained by Customs agents for failing to declare merchandise when she arrived at Hartsfield International Airport. With that, the low profile enjoyed by the governor's quiet wife ended. "Shop 'til you drop," read a headline Saturday in the Bush's new hometown paper, the Tallahassee Democrat.
http://www.sptimes.com/News/62299/State/Gov_Bush_says_his_wif.shtml

Because of the timing of the event, it was speculated that it kept Jeb from running for President in 2000 and that is why we ended up with Dubya.

[Orangepeel]

4. I don't think it means to imply that she was an undocumented alien

She was a Mexican citizen and they met in Mexico, where Jeb lived for a time.

[Zen Democrat]

5. From Wikipedia:

"[Columba] Bush was born as Columba Garnica Gallo in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, where she grew up and attended high school. Her parents were José María Garnica, a migrant worker, and Josefina Gallo. She met Jeb Bush in 1971 in León, where he was teaching English as part of a foreign exchange program. They were married on February 23, 1974, in Austin, Texas."

So ... the cartoon is essentially correct in that she got her green card and citizenship by marrying Jeb. She wasn't an undocumented worker, however.

[FSogol]

7. Please use Jeb's full name when referring to him: Jeb W. Bush