This is a story via the Wall Street Journal. Iraqi interpreter Laith al-Haydar received multiple death
threats for working with the American military at the height
of the war in his country. In return for helping the U.S., he
and tens of thousands of other Iraqis were promised U.S.
immigration visas. Nearly four years after he applied, the 41-year-old father
of two is still waiting for a visa--and now he faces a new
setback: President Donald Trump signed an order suspending
immigration from several countries with a Muslim majority,
including Iraq, and a temporary ban on all refugees. Mr. Haydar is among roughly 58,000 Iraqi applicants for
U.S. immigrant visas and refugee resettlement under the
federal programs that promised to fast-track entry for Iraqis
who worked with the U.S. government and other institutions
deemed critical to the U.S.-led effort in Iraq, according to
the State Department. A similar program for Afghans who've
worked with the U.S. government may also be at risk. At least one Iraqi and two Afghans who worked with the U.S.
government and also qualify for expedited immigration visas
were turned away from American ports of entry on Friday and
Saturday, a State Department official said, adding that
several more were prevented from boarding planes to the U.S. A substantial backlog of applications remains in part
because Congress limits the number of visas that can be
granted each year. Frustration with visa delays has now been
aggravated by Mr. Trump's executive orders. Critics of the visa ban say it abandons thousands of
valuable allies abroad and risks deterring such people from
working with the United States in the future at a time when
Mr. Trump is promising a more aggressive military posture
abroad.
``These guys laid their lives on the line alongside
American soldiers and got paid a fraction of what I made,''
said Jake Thomas, a U.S. Army veteran who worked with Mr.
Keywords matched
immigration visa refugee visas immigrant refugees