I WELCOME: STANDING WITH REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS

Malik Aziz, Sana, and their two sons fled from Baghdad to Beirut in 2013 fearing for their lives after being threatened and attacked for their Christian faith. They were approved for resettlement to the U.S. in 2016, but since the Muslim ban was signed in 2017, their case has been stuck into limbo and they’ve been stranded in Beirut, where they’re at risk of forcible return to Iraq.

They were finally told they would be able to resettle in Michigan in September 2019, but at the last minute, their case was thrown back into review yet again and their lives into uncertainty.

We’re demanding the U.S. government keep its promise to the Aziz family and expedite their cases so they can finally find safety and be welcomed by their family here in the U.S.

Take Action Now

Astrid and her father Arturo are Indigenous K’iche who fled from Guatemala and put in detention when they arrived at the U.S. border in 2015. Released the next day, they began rebuilding their lives in Pennsylvania. Three years later, armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ripped them from their home in the middle of the night, without warning or warrant, and locked them up in immigration detention.

Astrid turned 15-years-old behind bars and missed the quinceañera celebration she had been eagerly planning. Her birthday wish was to be freed from detention with her father and return to middle school.

Despite having applied for asylum, Arturo and his daughter were detained for over a month. Our supporters all around the world heard their story, and quickly mobilized to make Astrid’s wish come true. After more than 1,600 phone calls and 78,000 signed petitions to the government, Astrid and Arturo were released from Berks, and she was able to return to school, where she was in the eighth grade.

Sadat fled from homophobic attacks in Ghana in November 2015 after being beaten by members of a criminal group, who also reportedly burned down his house and beat his uncle. In January 2016, Sadat requested asylum in the U.S. and was held for over two-and-a-half years in immigration detention, where he went on hunger strikes in protest of the poor conditions he endured.

Amnesty International and other organizations mobilized in his support, sending thousands of actions by Amnesty supporters to immigration authorities. Just a few days later, the request to release Sadat on parole was granted and he was freed.

Sadat shared, “I want to say a BIG THANKS to the team, undocblack, Amnesty International and everyone who love and supported me.”

Astrid and her father Arturo are Indigenous K’iche who fled from Guatemala, where discrimination and violence against this community is institutionalized and widespread. They arrived at the U.S. border in 2015 and were put in detention. They were released the next day and began rebuilding their lives in Pennsylvania. Three years later, armed government agents ripped them from their home in the middle of the night, without warning or warrant, and locked them up in immigration detention.

Astrid turned 15-years-old behind bars. She missed her quinceañera celebration, which she had been eagerly planning. Her birthday wish was to be freed from detention with her father and return to middle school.

Despite having applied for asylum, Arturo and his daughter were detained for over a month. Our supporters all around the world heard their story, and quickly mobilized to make Astrid’s wish come true. After more than 1,600 phone calls and 78,000 signed petitions to the government, Astrid and Arturo were released from Berks, and she was able to return to school where she is in the eighth-grade.

In 2017, four young children and mothers seeking asylum in the U.S. had spent nearly two years jailed in the Berks family detention center. Each family fled traumatic and life-threatening events, including kidnapping threats and severe sexual violence, in their home countries of Honduras and El Salvador.

Despite reporting declining physical and medical health, they were imprisoned for almost 700 days. Three-year-old Josue suffered from severe allergies, and learned to walk and talk behind bars. Others were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

After Amnesty International activists all over the world took action, these children and mothers were finally freed in August.

But the battle doesn’t end here. No child should grow up behind bars, and new families continue to be locked up every day at Berks and other detention sites.

Take Action Now

Ahmed Amari, Amina, and their four young children were forced to flee from the war in Syria in 2013 and in 2016, the U.S. accepted them for resettlement. They gave away many of their belongings and prepared to travel to the U.S. in January 2017. But they were left in jeopardy after the first Muslim ban went into effect, and as a result of delays caused by successive Muslim and refugee bans and additional security screening procedures, they were stranded in Beirut.

Amnesty International launched an action to the U.S. government demanding it expedite the review of their case, and shared the Amari family’s story in the media and with members of Congress.

Finally, in July, they were resettled to their new home in Virginia. All four children are now in school and have big dreams – the oldest aspires to be a fashion designer when she grows up, while the other two daughters hope to be doctors. The youngest wishes to be a fireman.