Dear Friend, We did it. After sending two Freedom of Information Act requests, submitting a 466-page appeal which included over 100 letters of support, gathering over 22,000 signatures on Change.Org, and lobbying dozens of congressional offices around the country, we have rekindled the hope of a family of five that they will not be left behind to face death in Iraq because of their support for the US military. On behalf of the family and their US-based legal team, I am thrilled to share with you this excerpt from a letter received from USCIS: “After careful consideration, the denial of your request for resettlement to the United States, dated 23 November 2016 is hereby overturned and you are now conditionally eligible for resettlement, pending all necessary medical clearances, security clearances, and other required procedures.” Note the words “conditionally eligible.” The family knows what it was like to be turned away the night before their resettlement flight was scheduled to depart. While we are grateful of the decision by USCIS to overturn the denial, we know all too well the arbitrary and capricious workings of the US immigration system, especially in light of today’s political climate. That is why we must not stop fighting until this family is safe on US soil. Please continue to lobby your representatives to make sure the family remains on track to resettlement. We will shortly be following this update with another that includes a revised template to send to your Members of Congress. The pressure we put on the immigration office to approve this Request for Review was immense, and they expedited their decision process because of it. We cannot allow them to slow-walk the process now because they think we are no longer paying attention. We must keep the pressure on until the medical exams are scheduled and completed, the plane tickets are booked, and the family touches down stateside. We also want to make sure the family is not unlawfully detained at the airport. We will invite as many people as can make it to hold a welcome rally for the family at the airport to give them the hero’s welcome they deserve. We plan to invite local and national news outlets to cover the final chapter in this family’s almost decade-long struggle to find safe passage. Linked below is a column by Trudy Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Trudy has written about Wisam's family since they were denied escape back in August. The attention she has drawn to their refugee case has greatly helped the cause. During a difficult time to be a member of the media, we simply cannot thank her enough for the coverage and the important work she carries out. Trudy's most recent column is about the positive shift in direction the case just took. Despite this great news, it is important to remember that the ordeal is not over until the day the family lands stateside and clears customs, a day she hopefully will be writing about soon. Please feel free to contact me at peter.m.farley@gmail.com or May Whitaker (may@mayflowerlaw.net) who is the lead attorney the case for more information. The family and our team thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us to keep our promise to our Iraqi friends and allies.