Pinho married Salem Abu Amra
A California teacher sparked controversy after revealing that she married a man living in Gaza, saying she did so to help him obtain US citizenship and advance the struggle for Palestinian rights.Laura Pinho is 51 years old and is a dance teacher in Los Angeles. She revealed her marriage during a webinar on CODEPINK Zoom on June 16 titled “Challenging Zionism in Our Schools.”To congratulate Pinho on her marriage, CODEPINK activist Marcy Winograd invited her to talk about her life. In response, Pinho said her decision to marry Salem Abu Amra was motivated by activism.“I have power as an American citizen. I have a passport that I was just born with, and how can I live in this world if I don’t make every effort to level the playing field in any way I can,” she said during the webinar.The marriage took place on April 5 through Utah’s online marriage system, according to Utah County Clerk’s records obtained by the Israeli non-profit NGO. Utah law allows couples to marry virtually if they obtain a county marriage license, provide valid identification and have two witnesses, even if neither party is physically present in the state.However, immigration experts have warned that marrying someone just to secure immigration benefits could result in serious legal consequences.
Michael Wilds, the mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, an immigration lawyer and former federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York, said Pinho’s public comments could invite federal scrutiny.“It can be criminally prosecuted and raised on federal conspiracy charges. Marriage fraud is one of the top five crimes you can commit, including terrorism and drugs. The fact that someone would be stupid enough to say they actually did it makes it possible for the federal government to investigate it,” Wilds said.Under US federal law, entering into a marriage for the purpose of obtaining a green card is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).It remains unclear whether Abu Amra has entered the United States.Just a month before the wedding, Pinho launched a GoFundMe campaign for Abu Amra, describing him as the primary caregiver for a family of five in Gaza.
“He spends his days securing clean water, searching for food for his family and helping them survive,” she wrote on the fundraising page.Pinho said the couple first connected through mutual friends on Facebook. After she donated some money to him, Abu Amra contacted her to thank her, and from here the relationship developed.The teacher’s personal life also became the subject of attention. Public records show she shares an address with Derek J.
Reid, 51, is an improv coach and has a five-year-old.Reid told the New York Post that he and Pinho were partners but were never legally married. They have now separated, but still live at the same address in separate rooms. He also said that he was not aware of Pinhu’s marriage to Abu Amra.According to Reid, their relationship deteriorated due to disagreements over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.“She has become radicalized. I don’t know anything about that… the crowd she works with… I’m worried about her,” he said.Pinho leads the Students for Justice in Palestine club at her school, and has openly discussed incorporating pro-Palestinian themes into her dance lessons.She shared footage of a school cultural event where students performed the traditional Palestinian Dabke dance, explaining that she used the performance to discuss Palestinian history and identity.“There is a lot of resistance in the words and movements of this song, so while I was teaching the students the actual steps to the dance, I would be telling them the meaning, the importance of what the steps symbolize,” she said.“Of course, that prompted the question: Why are they so connected to the land? And then I was able, because they asked the question, to share the history of what happened to their land,” she added.Pinho also described encouraging student activity through the school’s Palestinian Solidarity Club.She said: “Students have rights, powers and abilities… They are fighting and protesting, and we are there to guide them… This is the role I found as one of the co-sponsors of the Students for Justice Club in Palestine.”According to public records cited by NYP, Pinho earned $179,103 in salary and benefits in 2024 while working for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
