| Mohammed, a 65-year-old Iraqi, and his family are in grave danger because of their affiliation with the U.S. military and desperately need to be granted refugee status in the United States before it’s too late.
Multiple generations of Mohammed’s family have risked their lives for U.S. forces and to bring freedom and safety to Iraq. Two of his sons served as interpreters for the U.S. Army, and his brother interpreted for the Marine Corps. All three of them had their lives threatened, and one son was shot in the face by militia. Mohammed’s brother was shot, killed, and left dead in a dumpster when the militia found out about his work.
Please sign my petition asking the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expedite processing of the family's refugee case that was recently approved on a conditional basis.
Three of Mohammed's children (the two interpreter brothers and one of their sisters) have already been resettled in recognition of their sacrifices for the United States. But Mohammed, his wife, and his three other children (including a 11-year-old daughter) remain in Iraq, where they are in hiding due to their history of support for the U.S. and the deteriorating security situation in Iraq. While they wait for their case to be finalized, they remain a prime target for terrorist organizations. After over six years of vetting, they continue to fear for their lives and the risk of being them being killed because of their affiliation with the U.S. is increased the longer their case is delayed.
Mohammed and his family firmly believe in the importance of U.S. national security – the family collectively made the decision to defend it at great personal risk.
Yet, last year, the family received a devastating denial of their refugee case with no explanation. American citizens rallied behind the family and over 22,000 signatures were gathered on Change.org asking USCIS to review the decision in light of the sacrifices the family has made for the U.S. USCIS considered the entirety of the evidence and made a wrong right by overturning their previous denial. We are incredibly grateful for the USCIS officials who took a hard look at the case and put this family back on track for refugee resettlement to the US. However, it is important to remember that the ordeal is not over until the day the family safely escapes Iraq, lands stateside, and clears customs.
Mohammed and his family have been through enough. They have had family members killed and wounded and they have had their family torn apart. All of this is because of their loyalty to the U.S.
It is time to bring the rest of the family to new home in the U.S. They deserve to be reunited and should no longer fear daily for their lives.
Sign my petition to ask USCIS to finalize their case. We made a promise to protect this family. We cannot let this family die at the hands of our common enemy. |
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