Huh? "Anybody" (i.e. excluding terrorists, nazis, communists, HIV-positives, and other comparatively small segments of the population) can become a US permanent resident by marrying a US citizen unless they are present in the US illegally. Then the case is more complicated, but in many cases you are still eligible.
Only if they are the wrong ones... Joke aside, I don't think you're automatically excluded, but you do have to answer yes or no as to whether you are or have been affiliated with said groups on the application form.
Please reread, I said "this path to permanent residency," not "the only path".
You can become a permanent resident by getting married, but the process isn't straightforward. The draconian requirement that the newly-married couple leave the US reduces some fraud, I'm sure, but it also causes an enormous amount of disruption for the 99% of legitimately married couples who have families and livelihoods within the US.
Jeffrey, there is no such requirement. Someone who marries an American cannot immediately adjust to permanent resident status, but is (typically) granted conditional residence, which is in practice the same thing except that it can be easily revoked if it looks like the marriage is a sham. After 2 years the not-so-newlyweds can (in fact, must) apply to have the conditional status removed, at which point the foreign spouse becomes a permanent resident. This is almost always a formality except in cases of marriage fraud or involvement in criminal activity. There is no requirement to leave the country. In fact, for people who have been married longer than 2 years or living together a long time, USCIS will sometimes waive the conditional status (and thus the fee to have lifted later) because they have prima facie evidence of a bona fide relationship. It's only in cases where they have serious doubts about the honesty of the applicant that they require the couple to leave the US and wait several years to reapply.
IANAL but you are definitely misinformed about this, and should not allow it to interfere with your love life.
"This path" is what I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm a non-American who married a US citizen, and I just got my green card. There was no requirement that we leave for any amount of time. The whole process took 5 months and was about as painless as anything dealing with the USCIS could possibly be.
