Dear Friend, Seven years ago today, I received one of the best phone calls of my life. I was contacted by an immigration agency located in Massachusetts to find out that the refugee case of my interpreter and best friend Wisam had been approved. Three months later, I was at Boston’s Logan Airport welcoming my brother to America, his new home. He is now a proud United States citizen. But seven years later, members of Wisam’s immediate family, in the same approved status that he was in back then, remain stuck in Baghdad and in grave danger because of their loyalty to the United States. Last June, the family’s case was conditionally reapproved by US immigration in large part to our movement here on Change.org. You and over 82,000 US citizens have signed on in support of this family’s immigration case. However, it has now been almost one year since the case was approved with no further development. As we know, a conditional approval, in and of itself and on paper means nothing. It is an enormous step in the right direction but the truth of the matter is that Iraqis are not being admitted into the US at this time due to policy set forth the current administration. And Wisam’s family, who have sacrificed more for this country than most born here, continue to pay the price for it. Unfortunately, Iraqis who have helped the US have not been spared by current policy. Per the International Rescue Committee, midway through fiscal year 2018, only 36 US-affiliated Iraqis have arrived to America through the P-2 Visa Program, the program that Wisam’s family is part of. Thirty-six is not a typo and is compared to 3,051 P-2 who arrived in 2017, an already low number. Again, these are Iraqis who are affiliated with America's war efforts in Iraq. At this time, the odds are stacked incredibly against Wisam’s family, even with a conditional approval. But, they have been stacked incredibly against us before and you helped us defeat the odds to even get to the point where we are at now. There is still hope and we will continue to do everything we can to give the family the best shot to be among the next 36 Iraqis that arrive to America. Please continue to help by contacting your representatives with the letter template below. Thank you all for your continued support of this family: Letter to send: [Date] [The Honorable (First Name, Last Name) United States House of Representatives/United State Senate Office Address City, State, Zip] Subject: Save Iraqi Family Under Immediate Threat for Working with U.S. Troops Dear Representative/Senator ______________: My name is [ ]. As your constituent, I am asking for your assistance in helping a 62-year-old Iraqi man named Mohammed and his family. Mohammed’s family is stuck in Baghdad and in grave danger because of their affiliation with the U.S. military. 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 the militia. Mohammed’s brother was shot, killed, and left dead in a dumpster when the militia found out about his work. I ask for your assistance in pushing for expedited processing of this family’s refugee case that was approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on a conditional basis last June. 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 10-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. For more specific information on the family’s case, please contact my friend Sergeant Peter Farley, who served with a member of this family during his deployment in Baghdad. Peter can be reached at peter.m.farley@gmail.com or 508-989-3527. Please do everything in your power to fight for families such as this one. It is in the best interest of our national security to protect our Iraqi and Afghan allies who have sacrificed so much for us. Sincerely, [Your name Your address Your City State, Zip Your phone number and/or e-mail]