Local Iraqi Family Fights to Bring Relatives to U.S.
- Producing Organization
- WBEZ
- Contributing Organization
- WBEZ (Chicago, Illinois)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/50-04rjdj4t
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/50-04rjdj4t).
- Description
- Description
- " We turn now to the story of a family scattered by war. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled their country since the US invaded in 2003. Many have gone to Syria and Jordan , where they're living in poverty. Some have family members in the US and are desperate to come here. In the Chicago area alone, an estimated one thousand families are trying to bring relatives here. Chicago Public Radio's Catrin Einhorn has one of their stories. ** Before the war, there was a young couple with a baby girl just getting started in life. When war came, the man worked as a taxi driver in Baghdad . His wife says he sometimes took people to meet with Americans and then decided to become an informant. TAPE: He told me he wanted to help the Americans because he knew some American soldiers, and they told him that all he had to do was give them this information and we will help you and get you out. Even though I told him, you know we shouldn't be doing this, because you're doing something that isn't accepted here he said I know what I'm doing. The name of the man who thought he knew what he was doing is Sarhadun Oraha. His wife's name is Shameran Hana. This is her story: On November 21, 2004, Hana remembers that she and her husband started their day as usual. Oraha drove some girls to school, then went home for breakfast. Later he tried to visit his mother, but the roads were closed and he didn't make it. That evening he told Hana he was going to work. TAPE: My daughter said to me mom, let's go and say goodbye to daddy. Hana says they stood in front of the house and watched him walk down the street to the car. TAPE: We saw him sit in the car, and 3 young men got in the car, they were Iraqis. They sat in the car, and then all I heard was shots, and I saw them leave. And I don't know what happened after that. Over the next two years, Shiba sent dozens more emails, spoke with his Congresswoman, called the UN in Washington and Amman . Here's an idea of the early correspondence between Shiba and someone at the US consulate in Baghdad . An actor will read the consulate's part, beginning here: THIS PART WOULD BE COLLAGED Sir -- you should consult the website of the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Service regarding the possibility of obtaining parole into the U.S. Please note that this does not convey immigration benefits upon the recipients, who would, in effect, have no status in the U.S. , so this may not be the best choice for the family in question. FADE In any case, you must apply to USCIS in order to obtain parole. The State Department consular office at post has no role in that decision. What would you recommend the young lady do in regards to her safety? Please give me other options if there are any different methods than just a parole to the U.S. ? FADE I would greatly appreciate any assistance, or advise. Thank you. If she feels threatened, and does not believe that police or security forces where she lives can assist here, we recommend she go somewhere she is not at risk where she can remain until the security situation has improved. FADE That may mean visiting family or friends in another town or even in a neighboring country. Dear Sir/Madam, What other area in Iraq is currently safe? I don't think there is anywhere to hide from the insurgents, do you? They murdered her husband by shooting him in the head, she and her 2 year old daughter are next, who can tell what the insurgents will do. All I want to know from the U.S Embassy is if the U.S Embassy, or any of it's employees can assist her by allowing her and her daughter to leave Iraq, if you have the authorization to allow her to obtain a Visa to go where I reside in the U.S.? Please let me know what options she and I have in order for her to leave safely without her being killed? Thank you for your assistance. Sir -- there is no visa category for someone who feels threatened with physical harm. That is why I forwarded the information on Parole. She is an Iraqi citizen who can obtain an Iraqi passport and depart the country any time she wishes. Iraqi citizens do not need visas to enter Jordan, which may be another option for her. I'm sorry that we cannot be of more assistance at this time. Dored Shiba is one of many Iraqi Americans in the Chicago area struggling to help relatives in trouble. Greater Chicago has one of the largest Iraqi communities in the country. Like Shiba and his family, most Iraqis here are Christian. Insurgents in Iraq have targeted Christians, bombing churches, killing and kidnapping. Joseph Kassab (kuh-SAHB)is executive director of the Chaldean Federation of America . Hana fainted. Next thing I know I open my eyes, I was in the hospital and my parents were with me and my in-laws, and they were crying and they told me my husband was killed. 65-hundred miles away, the phone rang in a tidy home in the Chicago suburb of Skokie . Hana's brother-in-law, Dored Shiba, says a relative called with news of Oraha's death and a question: Was there anything Shiba could do to get Hana and her daughter, Nora, to the US , where they would be safe? The family was scared that the killers would get them next. TAPE: Ok, I sent this email on November 22, 2004, 4:42 PM to the American embassy in Amman and the American embassy in Baghdad . Dear Sir/Madam: I was informed that one of my family members in IRAQ has been shot in the head by the insurgents. Shiba explained what happened and asked if his niece and sister-in-law could get asylum in the US . FADE UP: any other methods? Please let me know what I can do to protect this young widow, and her 2 year old daughter? Thank you. GOD BLESS AMERICA ! "
- Media type
- Sound
- Credits
-
-
: WBEZ
Editor: Drew Hill
Producing Organization: WBEZ
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ-FM) and Vocalo.org
Identifier: (unknown)
Format: audio/mpeg
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Local Iraqi Family Fights to Bring Relatives to U.S.,” WBEZ, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 27, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-50-04rjdj4t.
- MLA: “Local Iraqi Family Fights to Bring Relatives to U.S..” WBEZ, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 27, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-50-04rjdj4t>.
- APA: Local Iraqi Family Fights to Bring Relatives to U.S.. Boston, MA: WBEZ, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-50-04rjdj4t