Dear Friend,

For the first time since our case was conditionally (re)approved over two years ago, there has been a change in its status.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has determined that the family needs to be re-interviewed and that a timeline cannot be given as to when new security interviews will take place.

At this time, we do not know what to make of this change in case status.  On one hand, there is hope that the status change signifies that the case is a step closer to finalization.  On the other hand, we do not know when the rescreen will take place, if ever.  There is additional concern that USCIS will reverse its approval decision in light of current policy where the admission rate of Iraqis into this country is at an all-time low and the denial rate is at an all-time high.  Iraqis are simply not being allowed in, regardless of whether they made great sacrifices for our nation.  For example, the number of Iraqi refugees admitted to the U.S. has declined from 9,880 in 2016 to 140 in 2018. 

International freelance journalist Rebecca Gibian addresses this matter in a piece she wrote yesterday for PRI’s The World.   The story is an in-depth look at the issue based on over nine months she spent interviewing U.S. military interpreters left behind in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The story highlights our case and interviews Khalid, one of the interpreter brothers:

 “We are the bridge, the translation, between the U.S. Army and the Iraqi people there. That’s it. And what happened? I get shot in my face, and in my hand, I have nerve damage, I can’t hear in my left ear, I can’t close my left eye, because of that,” Khalid is quoted in the story.  “Even though I stood up and I continued the mission ...  what I want is to bring [my family] over [here],” he continued.

What we do know is that this is the type of family we want in our country.   They have been more than "extremely vetted" and deserve the safety and opportunity American can provide.  After all, they have sacrificed more for our country than most naturally born here.  We are keeping hope that USCIS will ultimately make the right decision, just as they did over two years ago when conditionally approving the case.  However, the family cannot afford to wait much longer.      

We continue to work with multiple congressional offices and a team of immigration lawyers in reuniting the family on a constant basis.  Thank you for staying in the fight with us.

Pete