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Lindsey Graham
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Johnny Isakson, Karen Handel, David Perdue, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein, Bill Nelson, John Cornyn, Ajit Pai, Lindsey Graham, Chris Van Hollen, Sherrod Brown, Rob Portman,...
Net neutrality preserves the right to communicate freely on the internet. Net neutrality requires internet service providers (ISPs) to give everyone equal access to everything you use on the internet-- email, watching videos, reading news articles, and listening to music. It prohibits ISPs from slowing down, speeding up, or blocking content on the internet. It is how the internet has always worked. Unfortunately, this is being threatened by the FCC- the Federal Communications Commission.
If the FCC ends net neutrality, then how we’ve used the internet changes completely. ISPs will be able to block content, slow down internet access, and favor websites over others. It will also end the Title II of the Communications Act, which charges ISPs for blocking content or slowing down internet and creating “fast lanes.” “Fast lanes” would allow certain internet service providers to give internet access faster than any other service providers. Ending net neutrality could have global impacts and change the way the world shares information and changes how information is processed.
As high school seniors about to enter into the real world, we cannot imagine what life would be like if we did not have net neutrality. Net neutrality allows us to use our freedom of speech on a platform that is like no other. I can go on the internet and research something without the fear that an ISP has favored a certain website that is completely biased one way or blocked certain websites.
If you believe we should have free access to the internet, sign this petition to show your support. This issue is time sensitive and must be addressed. Support free and open internet!
Thank you for your support,
Katie Lemon
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Katie LemonRoswell, GA, United States
161,192
12/5/17
Raúl Grijalva, Earl Blumenauer, Lindsey Graham, Dave Joyce, John H. Rutherford, Ruben Gallego
What's going on?
In October of 2020 I attended a meeting of the United States Cannabis Caucus, chaired by the office of Representative Earl Blumenauer. I was asked by veterans from across the country to read a list of concerns from our community to those present, along with a plea to be considered in the upcoming MORE Act being put forward for a vote. Our request fell on deaf ears, and at the following meeting I was told by Blumenauer’s office our issues would not be addressed in the MORE Act. Subsequently, I began working closely with Representative David Joyce’s office, and others.
In the time that has passed since I first engaged the caucus in a meaningful manner, the approach has been fine tuned. This includes outlining remedies which, if adopted through legislation by congress, could potentially address many of the hardships currently being faced by our veteran community. Principally the reliance on pharmaceuticals, and the correlating suicide rate within our ranks. The most viable real-world pathways for these policy recommendations have been provided to the powers that be. These include identifying specific committees and departments within the government, as well as accompanying legislation which may be used as a vehicle.
Which ones?
Appropriations Committee
Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
$922 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for Substance Use Disorder treatment/prevention.
Suggested using some of those funds to implement a harm reduction model centered on cannabis treatment, and other services/resources available through the VA’s “Whole Health” program.
MilconVA Bill
“The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides healthcare for 9,200,000 veteran enrollees, disability compensation benefits to nearly 6,000,000 veterans and survivors, pension benefits for over 357,000 veterans and survivors, life insurance for more than 5,500,000 veterans, servicemembers and their families, educational assistance for nearly 900,000 trainees, and interment of more than 130,000 veterans and eligible family members in national cemeteries. To adequately serve the nation’s veterans, VA employs more than 425,000 people, making it one of the largest Federal agencies in terms of employment.” -Source
Suggested expanding the VA’s “Choice Act” to include medical cannabis dispensaries and doctor recommendations in states where state regulated cannabis dispensaries have been established.
National Defense Authorization Act
VA–DOD Joint Venture Facilities- Training and healthcare. Tying in that veterans are federal patients under federal responsibility.
Military personnel/veterans require similar language from the HOPE Act be applied to them, which requires the attention of DoD, and adjustment to the UCMJ code pertaining to cannabis use by military personnel. Once again, if the federal scheduling of cannabis under the CSA is addressed, and whole plant cannabis is properly placed/descheduled, this is more of an administrative procedure, as opposed to a political action.
Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Suggested expanding the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program through the Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs, so as to ensure veterans residing in states without medical cannabis dispensaries can still gain access to federally grown cannabis from the multiple sources available.
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Looking into the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The President of the United States chairs the OSTP. Vice President Harris is a member of the NSTC.
In a perfect world, federal legislation would be passed which:
* Releases to the public data collected per VA directive 1315 and its predecessors, since 2011;
* Releases to the public all relevant data from the federal compassionate IND program pertaining to the safety, and efficacy of cannabis being used by the participating federal patients who have passed away, since 1976;
* Provides for training and continuing education uniformly across the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) level including, but not limited to the history of cannabis medicine; the function of the endocannabinoid system; new discoveries as research is conducted; and federal/state policy in order to best uniformly integrate treatment into federal patient care;
* Uniformly expands the federal Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program (IND) through the VA;
* Recognizes veterans enrolled with, and receiving care from the VA as federal patients, requiring laws/policy being applied uniformly in all fifty states and territories of the U.S., reflecting the unique status of military (federal) personnel;
* Provides an identifier on VA patient data cards identifying participating veterans as federal cannabis patients; eliminating threat of prosecution/incarceration while traveling within the U.S. or on federal property with their medicine;
* Provides for VA to grow cannabis for veterans participating in the expanded IND program, and occupational therapy programs. Uniformly promoting home cultivation, and medicinal access to a broad variety of cannabis products, and;
* Provides for a cannabis voucher system within the VA for veterans to access cannabis under individual state medical cannabis programs/dispensaries.Charters through Congress, new Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) working in this field.
State Program Template
These recommendations are intended to provide guidance related to veterans and medical cannabis in states across the country.
The American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars are hemorrhaging membership, and posts across the country are falling into disrepair and foreclosure. These need to be transitioned into members-only compassion centers for our women and men who have served their country.
Based on experience in the trenches, the following are observations/suggestions of what baseline policy veterans need states to implement:
* Recognize cannabis as a viable treatment option for veterans within their borders.
* Provide incentives within the cannabis space as are already offered for veterans in other state programs, such as fee waivers, job placement, and special licensing considerations.
* Provide for cannabis dispensary licenses to be used by new or existing Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs)/Compassion Centers who choose to move away from alcohol sales.
* Protect the ability of these VSOs/Compassion Centers to host cannabis farmer’s markets.
* Protect the ability of these VSOs/Compassion Centers to give/receive cannabis donations to/for veterans in need.
A new VSO is needed so veterans can engage with each other and their community in a healthy, productive manner. This new VSO model does not involve alcohol. It implements a more conducive, harm reduction approach geared toward:
* Reducing the suicide rate within the veteran community;
* Reducing the dependence on pharmaceuticals within the veteran community;
* Providing a safe environment for veterans, their families, and friends;
* Increasing the quality of life for veterans, and their families;
* Establishing new networking opportunities within the veteran community;
* Identifying and perpetuating positive trends within the veteran community;
*Designing metrics to monitor the utilization/effectiveness of proposed programs.
Agriculture Therapy Program Promoting Post Traumatic Growth
As it relates to the individual, gardening is a great way to engage the natural world. There are many programs geared toward assisting transitioning service members who are interested in pursuing careers in agriculture. Whether for therapy, as a profession, or hobby, growing cannabis should be encouraged. From learning more about the medicine they are growing, to providing a way to earn a living, or by furthering their education, veterans stand to benefit greatly in this field.
How should we schedule Cannabis Sativa L. (“Marijuana”)?
As federal patients receiving our healthcare through the department of veterans affairs, we feel Cannabis should remain on the Controlled Substances Act list within the United States of America. There are a number of reasons for this, which we will outline in greater detail below. To state it plainly, the VA is going to need to know how to categorize the various cannabis products that are available within their pharmacy system, as well as which various controls are required for specific preparations.
Additionally, any honest discussion regarding the medical use of Cannabis has to include warnings of potential negative side effects, ideally this discussion will be among the patient and their primary care physician. It is not appropriate to throw veterans seeking medical treatment into a recreational market for political expediency. We are medical patients. For all intents and purposes, keeping Cannabis within the CSA legitimizes the medicinal use of this traditional herb, and keeps the patients at the center of the conversation, where they belong.
Cannabis Sativa L. as it stands currently within the CSA
Schedule I
“Schedule I drugs have high potential for abuse. These drugs have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, marijuana) is still considered a Schedule 1 drug by the DEA, even though some U.S. states, including California, have legalized marijuana for personal, recreational use, or for medical use.”
Where would we place Cannabis within the CSA?
RSO/Hash (Schedule 3) above 75% THC concentration) pharmaceutical preparation (synthetic)
Schedule III
“Schedule III drugs have less potential for abuse than Schedules I and II drugs. These drugs have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse of the drug may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.”
Concentrates (Schedule 4) 35%-75% THC concentration)
Schedule IV
“Schedule IV drugs have low potential for abuse relative to Schedule III drugs. These drugs have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse of these drugs may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to Schedule III drugs.”
Botanical Cannabis (Schedule 5)
Schedule V
“Schedule V drugs have low potential for abuse relative to schedule IV drugs. These drugs have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse of these drugs may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to Schedule IV drugs.”Read more
Ricardo PereydaTucson, AZ, United States
156,270
7/9/14
Maureen Walsh, FOX News, Lindsey Graham, Ralph S. Northam, Ralph Norman
Senator Walsh. I demand you follow a nurse at a local hospital on her full 12 hour shift. I demand that you remain with that nurse the full 12 hours, eat when she does, go to the bathroom when she does and leave for home when she does. None of your extra breaks, or privileges. You have decided not to exclude Nurses from mandatory overtime because you do not have the faintest clue what we do. How critical it is to avoid over exhaustion which leads to burn out. How could you? You do not actually work. You barely serve your state a full 30 days then the senate closes session and you people are on vacation again. You could of course just hold a press conference and publicaly apologize and acknowledges you have absolutely NO knowledge of Nursing duties. Read more
Shannon SpencerBlacksburg, SC, United States
130,293
4/20/19
Matt Gaetz, Bryan Steil, Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, Lindsey Graham
Every year those who are federal employees grit their teeth with the fear that their place of employment will go unfunded and they will not be able to pay bills or place food on their tables. The legislative branches failure to agree on a budget means that millions across the country will not receive pay when they need it. This petition is created to ensure that our elected representatives are treated the same as every other government employee. If there is no funding for others why is it that elected officials that work for "the people" still receive pay? This petition aims to receive national recognition in order for all branches of government that hold elected positions to not receive pay for the period that there is a partial or full government shut down.
Failure to pay serious attention to this subject matter will show the American people that lawmakers truly do not support those who elected them. When it hits the pockets of lawmakers as hard as it hits the pockets of federal employees they will all no longer play politics and use us as weapons in their political games.
This petition will bring lawmakers to more equal footing so that they truly understand how we are ALL affected during times of gridlock.
No pay for those elected to serve in an official capacity in the U.S. government by the people of the united states during a government shut down!Read more
Gary AllsbrookUnited States
112,551
1/21/18
Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump, Secretaries of the Armed Forces and Congress, Ted Cruz, Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senate, Bernie Sanders, Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio, Dianne Feinstein, Kirsten E. G...
An Open Letter To Our Elected Officials -
UPDATE 1 to the petition: https://militaryspousechronicles.com/2018/10/02/pcs-petition-brings-change/
Every year thousands of military service members and their families pack up and move on military orders. All of their memories, heirlooms, worldly processions, keepsakes, pro-gear, kids toys, and some useless stuff, otherwise known as household goods (HHGs) gets packed up by contracted strangers, loaded onto a truck and driven across country.
If you are on the lucky side of things, your HHGs will arrive with a few scratches and maybe a broken bowl.
However, most everyone ends up on the other side. Boxes will be unloaded smashed and torn, furniture will come off broken in multiple pieces, and other items will just go missing.
It will be brushed off as “don’t worry, you can just file a claim”, and while that might be true, there are things that money just can’t fix.
Money can’t replace the broken hutch inherited from my grandmother. Money can’t fix the missing foot board from the custom made bed. Money can’t fix my discontinued, now smashed in to pieces wedding china. And money can’t fix the box of my children’s baby memories box that never arrived.
I know, we should just leave these things with family! While that is a good thought, it’s not always possible. Some service members just don’t have the family available to leave these things!
Every year, thousands of service members file claims with moving companies. Within the last 2 years the average claim has been around $10,000, with an average of only 50-60% of that being paid out.
Over the last 5 years, the PCS season has become more and more horrendous to deal with. The major moving companies being awarded the contracts, often sub contract out to smaller, local companies. Many of these companies do not understand how military bases work- usually sending drivers or crews who have a felony background, can’t access post, or a truck that has expired registration.
These companies also do a poor job in packing and handling of the HHGs. Many times the crew will pack as quickly as possible to get to the next job to make more money. In doing so, things are usually packed improperly, allowing for damage to occur. When loaded into the truck or unloaded at the storage facility or destination, everything is usually just thrown around without a care. When Service members and families speak up about how things are being handled, we are usually scolded, degraded, and told to just let them do their job.
In one of our recent moves we had a mattress come off the truck soaking wet. When I questioned it and ask what my son was suppose to sleep on, the driver took a furniture pad off the dresser and said he could sleep on that.
When we moved to our current location, I questioned the driver about my high value list, and the markings on the inventory about the furniture. The response I received was “this is just how we do it.” Then when we arrived, our range bags complete with range equipment were missing.
Our military service members and their families already sacrifice so much for this country. The deployments, holidays missed, birthdays not celebrated, their children’s firsts moments, training time, and sometimes even their life. Is it so much to ask that moving companies take a little more care in handling our memories? Is it so much to ask our elected officials to step in and protect our service members from the headache and heartache during a PCS?
I challenge you to start holding these companies accountable. I challenge you to step up your game and ease the worry burden on our military families.
MilitarySpouseChronicles #PCSChronicles #MemoriesSmashed
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Megan HarlessTexas, United States
107,427
8/24/18
Mitch McConnell
Asia Bibi is a Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. Although she has been officially exonerated by Pakistan's highest court, she and her family remain at risk of lynching at the hands of tens of millions of her fellow citizens who have placed a high bounty on her life and have already murdered a provincial governor who favored her release.
Pakistan cannot and will not protect her and neither will Great Britain. Will not the greatest nation on Earth offer this innocent woman and her family emergency sanctuary - in our embassy if necessary - and emergency evacuation from Pakistan?
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Bernard StraussAfton, VA, United States
80,369
11/10/18
Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, Rand Paul, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Dianne Feinstein, Elizabeth Warren, Marco Rubio, Charles E. Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Nancy Pelosi, Brya...
Banks had their bail out at the US tax payers expense so now it's the Banking Industries turn to take one for the team. #TEAMAMERICA
Sign this petition in support for your local small business who employ many within your community. Employees working for companies with less than 50 employees are excluded from the Covid -19 Stimulus Package totalling 8 Billion dollars. They will not receive 2 weeks sick pay should they need to take off from work. Why? Mom and Pop businesses make up over 50% of the nation's companies. Their workers deserve the same opportunity as their neighbor working for a large corporation.
Please show your support for small business. Ex: local restaurants, coffee shops, boutique, beauty salons, all types of shops owners, printing, specialty stores, your dentist, and millions of other service oriented industries and vendors who service closed schools and closed local governments. The affect will hit for countless additional industries, like DHL, Federal Express and UPS employees when the demand for deliveries are no longer there. There are countless more business types affected for unknown reasons that come from our need to social distance in order to help prevent the spread of the virus. Help their landlord say to their small business tenant, " you can push back the next month's rent due".
As Americans following the President's and CDC guidelines to stay home, work from home which is impossible in many industries, and not gather in groups to help prevent the spread of Covid -19. over the next few months, these small business, should have been equally considered with the travel industries bail out plans in the Stimulus package being reviewed before Congress to encourage them to cease transportation.
For the next three months, millions of small businesses expect to have severe revenue hardships that will detrimentally affect millions of families salaries if smal employers must chose to pay a loan or make payroll. Let us not force them to shut their doors sending employees hiking to the unemployment lines. These small businesses are very fragile during this period and could greatly benefit. It could keep them out from filing bankruptcy when income and revenue are severly limited due to obstacles in their operations.
They arent asking for a hand out. They are asking to delay payments due without added interest assessed. They deserve to receive a 3 month reprieve from making loan payments to all types of financial institutions and banks without penalty, without default for non payment or fear of receiving a negative report from credit agencies.
Why three months? This is the period that the Global pandemic is expected to consume and move through our nation altering our everyday behavior. While temporary, it is enough to throw every single small business into a dark tunnel never to see the light of day again. These small businesses are owned by the average middle class person. He could be your neighbor.
By signing this petition, you are letting our nation's leaders know you support the working man and small business over the billions of dollars in profits taken by the banking industry in interest payments made by small business owners and their employees. The money these financial institutions charge us is often used to lobby congress against our immediate interests. We need to maintain our economic strength of the people by supporting these people. So without your signature, we will be letting big banks win over the working man during the most critical period in our nation's economic history.
Sign the Petition and say we are #teamamerica.
God bless all of us!!!
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Jennifer NettaWatchung, NJ, United States
75,710
3/14/20
President of the United States, US department of commerce, Census Bureau, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, Dana Rohrabacher, Seth Moulton, Jim McGovern, Jim Cost...
Dear fellow Americans for justice, brothers and sisters against racism,
The glaringly racist legacy of sub-Asian boxes on the Census form was started in 1870, after the Burlingame Treaty of 1868, which eventually led to the infamous, racist, and inhumane Chinese Exclusion Act spanning from 1882 to 1943, which among other terrible abominations, banned U.S. residents of Chinese descent from having children or getting married; their family members in Asia were forbidden from entry to U.S. and reuniting as families. The Census form has no "Asian/Asian American" category. In its place are a group of boxes signifying foreign nationalities in Asia as if Asian Americans were all “perpetual foreigners.” It intrusively identified and collected data on which U.S. residents were of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese...descent. While the Chinese Exclusion Act ended in 1943, did these racist, humiliating, dehumanizing sub-Asian boxes get removed from the Census form? No, they were kept on the Census form by the U.S. government even until today, and if we don't fight back and boycott the Census form with sub-Asian boxes, it will stay on the 2020 Census form and beyond, prolonging a racist American legacy, a shame to all Americans.
This legacy treats Americans of Asian descent as perpetual foreigners, and collects intrusive personal ancestral origin data used in many kinds of racial discrimination and persecution. In one example, the U.S. government used information from the Census Bureau to identify native born Americans of Japanese descent and sent them to Internment Camps during the World War II. There were also discriminatory laws against Americans of various Asian descent, such as Filipino. Such horrendous trampling of humanity will happen again unless you and I act now to boycott a 2020 Census form with sub-Asian boxes. We demand these sub-Asian boxes be removed and replaced with one description--"Asian/Asian American." Injustice to one human being is injustice to all human kind. If we don't stop this racist and anti-immigrant legacy, its “logic” and mentality will be repeated in current and future policy-making. Let's keep fighting against racism and improve the human condition step by step. Please join the good fight to make this historically significant change happen for now and forever, by signing this petition and sharing it on social media and by email, word of mouth. Power to the people!
Fighting on,
Americans against racism and anti-Asian anti-immigrant legacyRead more
Swan LeeBoston, MA, United States
57,545
6/12/18
Elizabeth Warren, Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump, USCIS , Jeanne Shaheen, US State Department, Tim Kaine, David Perdue, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Jack Reed, Richard Blumenthal, Mazie K. Hirono, Angu...
Aysha and her family are in critical danger because Aysha's father, Muhammad, is a heroic Afghan interpreter who worked for the US mission in Afghanistan for more than 10 years and was threatened with death by the Taliban. As NBC News has reported, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is part of Department of Homeland Security, has been stonewalling several bipartisan members of Congress for over two years on why Muhammad and his family were denied visas. The family remains in critical danger as they wait. Tell USCIS that ignoring Congress is unacceptable. USCIS must approve Muhammad, Aysha, and the rest of the family's case to save them from the Taliban before it is too late. USCIS doesn't question that leaving this family behind is a death sentence. They just don't care enough about refugees to even save a toddler from the Taliban.
As a US military interpreter, Muhammad directly saved American soldiers' lives, including one time he dashed into an ambushed vehicle under Taliban fire. His military supervisors praised his work ethic, dedication, and trustworthiness, and his incredible skill of fluently speaking six languages made him indispensable on Special Forces night raids on Taliban insurgents. But the Taliban considers him a criminal, accused him of converting to Christianity, and is working hard to find and kill Muhammad, his wife, and his young children. The whole family has been living in hiding for more than five years. They are living in daily fear of being discovered and killed by the Taliban. Even the children are unable to leave their apartment. Leaks in the roof have made the young girls sick on several occasions from getting infections from bacteria in the water or getting cold in the winter.
Meet Aysha, Muhammad, and the rest of their family in our 2-min YouTube video and help us by sharing the video (especially with your representatives in Congress). As I wrote about in USA Today, my family and I tried to sponsor Aysha and her family for emergency humanitarian parole visas to save their lives, but the USCIS denied the cases despite the strong support of a former Navy Lieutenant who personally worked with Muhammad in Afghanistan. USCIS later admitted that they didn't read the humanitarian cases before denying them. Aysha's aunt and uncle in the United States even offered to care for her and her sisters, but USCIS refused to even save the kids, making the ridiculous claim that Aysha and her sisters are “security concerns.”
The Ongoing Fight to Save Aysha and Her Family
After USCIS denied the humanitarian visas in 2017, we traveled to Washington, D.C. in April and June 2018 and met with dozens of Congressional offices. In July 2018, 38 bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter to former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asking to review the reason that the family's refugee case was denied. USCIS took several months to respond to the letter, and they are still refusing to answer Congress’s questions about why the case was denied. Rep. Raskin questioned then Secretary Nielsen at a Judiciary Committee hearing in December 2018, and she promised to immediately provide a briefing to members of Congress about the case. But instead DHS ignored all of Rep. Raskin's follow up requests. USCIS has also ignored Senate offices that have contacted them about the case. Four bipartisan members of Congress then sent a letter on February 14th, 2019 demanding to know why the family's case was denied. Again on May 22nd, Representatives Jamie Raskin, Tom Reed, Pramila Jayapal, and John Garamendi sent a letter to USCIS reiterating their request for a briefing on the family’s case. Despite all of Congress’s ongoing efforts, USCIS is still ignoring Congress’s request to review the reason for the denial. This is unacceptable for USCIS to ignore Congress’s requests for information on the case.
We continue to ask Congress to demand answers on why the Kamran family’s case was denied. Just a few weeks ago, USCIS agreed to meet with several Congressional offices to discuss this case and the related policy issue of a 99% drop in admissions of US military interpreters as refugees. However, USCIS has already said that the reason they denied the case is classified, and they are still refusing to give a classified briefing with members of Congress. So they are still stonewalling Congress's main request, but we are encouraged that the pressure from Congress is yielding some results.
We have recently found some refugee advocates in Canada who have stepped up to help get the family to Canada. Consequently, we are working on an application for a private sponsorship to Canada (under current Canadian policy, a private sponsorship to Canada rather than a more typical UN referral is the only option for refugees presently in Pakistan). You can contribute to the funds required for the sponsorship here on our Go Fund Me page.
What You Can Do
1. Sign this petition to tell USCIS to approve Asha's and her family's cases quickly. Aysha's father Muhammad is a hero who faithfully served the US mission in Afghanistan for over 10 years and is now in grave danger because the Taliban is determined to get revenge. He has already lost everything except his and his family's lives because of his service to America, but he is still proud of his choice to work for the US military. All he wants in return is the chance to bring his daughters to safety and to give them a future. If USCIS does not re-open and approve his case, he will be left behind to be killed by the same terrorists that he risked his life to fight for so many years.
2. Call your Congressional representatives and your Senators and ask them to support our effort asking USCIS for information on why they denied Muhammad's case. If you need contact information on your Congressional representatives, use this link to look them up: https://whoismyrepresentative.com/
3. Donate to or share our Go Fund Me pages to (1) raise money for a Canadian refugee case for the family or (2) provide money for the family to survive while they wait for visas. Canada requires that one year's worth of living expenses be saved ahead of time before they will evaluate the case. Since the family is living in hiding, Muhammad is unable to work and would not be able to survive without financial support for current living expenses. For legal reasons, we have separate Go Fund Me pages for the Canadian refugee case and for current living expenses for the family.
More Details on Aysha and her Family's Story
Aysha's family's story is summarized below and has been reported on by NBC News, The Christian Post, USA Today, McClatchy DC, The Sacramento Bee, RedState, The Ithaca Voice (here, here, and here), No One Left Behind, and the Evangelical Immigration Table. You can also hear Muhammad's story in his own words in our 4-min YouTube video or in a recent interview on The Michael Calderin Show.
When the US military mostly pulled out of Afghanistan in 2014, the Taliban gained strength in Afghanistan and killed many interpreters or their family members in revenge. One of Muhammad's brothers and a nephew, Sahil, who was also an interpreter, were shot and left for dead in an assassination attempt on Muhammad and his family. After the Taliban ambush, Muhammad fled his home district, just in time to escape a second Taliban attack that destroyed their family home. Consequently, Muhammad lost all contact with US military personnel who could have helped him apply for an SIV visa.
When I learned about Muhammad and his family's plight over three years ago, I was determined to do everything possible to save their lives. Muhammad had tried to apply to the US as a refugee on his own, but he was denied for “discretionary security reasons,” a very common problem for former military interpreters and their families. When Muhammad's refugee case was denied, he was devastated and lost all hope for saving his life and his family's lives. He said the only option left for him was to surrender to the Taliban, thinking that after the Taliban tortured and killed him, they would stop looking for his children. I told him not to give up and promised him to find a way to save their lives.
Please help me keep my promise to Muhammad to save his life and his family's lives. They do not deserve to suffer and die because of Muhammad's service to the US military. My family hired a lawyer and filed a humanitarian parole case to sponsor Muhammad and his family to come live in the US while he works to get permanent, legal status in the US. Our humanitarian parole case for them may be our last chance to save their lives.
In what our lawyer says is the most egregious case she has ever seen, USCIS denied Muhammad and his family's humanitarian parole cases because his refugee case had been denied and without even bothering to figure out why the refugee case had been denied. Thus, they denied Muhammad's humanitarian parole case for “discretionary reasons” without even knowing what those discretionary reasons were. This is effectively a death sentence for the entire family.
When our lawyer pleaded with USCIS to at least let Muhammad's young daughters come live with their aunt and uncle in the US, the director of the Humanitarian Affairs Branch of USCIS, John Bird, refused to approve any of the family's cases and made the absurd claim that granting a one-year visa to anyone in the family, including Muhammad's 2- and 4-year-old daughters, was a security concern. Because of USCIS's policy and Muhammad's service to the US military, Muhammad's children were literally born with a death sentence. Mr. Bird acknowledges that Muhammad and his family meet all the criteria for humanitarian parole, and he does not question that they will be killed if left in their current situation. He just does not care enough about Muslim refugees to even save a toddler from the Taliban.
Worse yet, in October 2017 USCIS granted humanitarian parole to family members of Las Zetas drug cartel members who murdered US ICE agents in Mexico, so that the family members of the murderers could attend a trial in Washington, D.C. Thus, USCIS is literally treating Muhammad and his family worse than criminals.
Please contact your representatives in Congress and Senators and ask them to help with this case. You can email me (save.aysha (at) gmail.com) for more information. If you want to contribute to supporting the Kamran family while we work to get them visas, please visit our Go Fund Me page.
Email me (Kristy Perano) at save.aysha (at) gmail.com to find out how you can help or for more information on Muhammad's case. Please also email me if you know Muhammad personally or if you know any government officials or reporters who may be able to help raise public awareness of Muhammad's case.Read more
Kristy PeranoDavis, CA, United States
55,817
7/27/17
Adam B. Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Charles E. Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio
John Bolton has first hand information regarding the Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump. Call him to testify before the Senate. We, the American people, deserve a Fair Impeachment Trial. No president, Democrat or Republican, should condition military aid to an ally at war for personal political favors. Read more
Ellwyn APennsylvania, United States
39,514
1/27/20