Two Years Too Long: Urge Canada to Issue Life-Saving Visa to Afghan Refugee Mohammad Younesi

As a new Toronto Star article reveals, Afghan refugee Mohammad Younesi remains in US detention after almost two years of waiting on Canada to help him reunite with his Toronto family.  ICE will release him but only if Canada issues a visa. Please write (template below) to Immigration Minister Lena Metledge Diab urging her to issue a Temporary Resident Permit and a Single-Journey Travel Document. Please cc your MP as well. 

Sample letter

ircc.minister-ministre.ircc@cic.gc.ca, Lena.Diab@parl.gc.ca

Dear Minister Metlege Diab,

I am writing to respectfully urge you to exercise your discretionary authority to issue a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) and a Single-Journey Travel Document for Mohammad Younesi, so that he may be released from U.S. immigration detention, return to Canada, and reunite with his family.

Mohammad Younesi is a 28-year-old Afghan human rights defender. He fled Afghanistan in July 2024 after being targeted by the Taliban because of his work supporting impoverished Afghan women as a skills-based trainer and project coordinator. Between December 2023 and January 2024, he was kidnapped at gunpoint, confined, tortured, and subjected to forced labour. He escaped while working in an open field and went into hiding before fleeing the country to save his life.

After escaping Afghanistan, Mohammad and his family travelled through Iran and Brazil before making the dangerous journey through the Darién Gap and into the United States. Unfortunately, they were separated before making it to the Canadian border. In September 2024, Mohammad was detained in Arizona by immigration authorities and later transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Texas. 

For nearly two years, he has remained in immigration detention under conditions that have been widely criticized by human rights organizations and independent observers. Reports have documented severe overcrowding, prolonged confinement, inadequate food, poor sanitation, and conditions so harsh that some detainees have accepted deportation simply to escape detention. A recent visit by Mohammad's lawyer confirmed that he continues to endure these same conditions.

Despite having no criminal history, Mohammad remains in indefinite detention. He also faces the ongoing risk of deportation to countries where he has no meaningful ties and he could experience more violence. Importantly, ICE has indicated that they would release him if the Government of Canada provided the necessary authorization for him to enter Canada. Legal efforts in the United States have so far been unsuccessful. Without Canadian action, there is currently no realistic pathway to his release.

Meanwhile, Mohammad's family successfully reached Canada and lived at Romero House from early 2025 until June 2026 as they established themselves in Canada. Their refugee claims were all accepted and they are working to build new careers in Canada, drawing on their experience as a dentist, graphic designer, medical laboratory technician, and engineer. However, they continue to endure the emotional hardship of prolonged separation from their son and brother.

I respectfully ask that you use the authority available to you under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to issue a Temporary Resident Permit and a Single-Journey Travel Document to facilitate Mohammad Younesi's return to Canada. Doing so would provide a practical and compassionate solution that would allow him to leave detention safely, reunite with his family, and pursue any further immigration processes from within Canada.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,