Help House Mounis and Hisham

Students for Justice in Palestine UA Chapter is currently seeking to fundraise $5,000 to fund 6 month housing for Palestinian asylum seekers Mounis Hammouda and Hisham Shaban Ghalia.

Mounis was released from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Florence, Arizona on a $9,000 bail (also fundraised via gofundme) in March, 2016. Hisham was released in late May 2016, after being in detention for 558 days. He is currently out on supervised release, which means he could theoretically be deported if the US finds a country that will accept him, which ICE has not been able to do so far, as Hisham is classified as a "stateless" Palestinian by the State Department.

Caption: From left to right: attorney Zayed Al-Zayyed, Hisham Ghalia, attorney Liban Yousuf and Mounis Hammouda, pictured just after Ghalia’s release from an ICE detention facility in Florence, Arizona. (Ehab Tamimi)

Hisham and Mounis are both Palestinians from Gaza; they left as students in 2010 and 2011, respectively,  and since have traveled over 7,000 miles and eight countries in attempt to find a better life for themselves and their families here in the United States.

Within days of presenting themselves to customs agents at the Mexico-U.S. border in November 2014, both Hisham and Mounis were determined to pose no threat to the community and to have "credible fear," the first step to claim humanitarian asylum.

Now both released, the two friends are working hard to overcome the physical and mental effect of long term indefinite detention. Upon their release, they have both applied for a work authorization permit. The work permit will give them permission to apply for a state ID, a social security number and more independence. They are expected to recieve their work permits within a few months.

Mounis has been living with multiple volunteers who have agreed to house him. He has been relying on donations and the kindness of others to make it through the days. Hisham has joined Mounis who are being housed together by the same network of volunteers.

Mounis is currently volunteering at various non-profit organizations (like the Iskashitaa Refugee Network). He is also networking to increase his presence in the Tucson community until he recieves his work authorization permit. Hisham will start networking and volunteering as soon as he settles post-release.

Caption: Mounis Hammouda poses for a photograph a few weeks after being release.

However, we are looking to provide them a more permanent 6-month housing solution that can last them until they get their paperwork in order. Please keep in mind that ICE had released both Mounis and Hisham with no way to support themselves financially until the work permits come through.  The bureaucracy of the broken system puts Mounis, Hisham and their sponsors through hardships until their work authorizations are processed.

In the meantime, Mounis continues to attend his required court hearings and work with pro bono lawyers to apply for political asylum. These court proceedings are expected to last a few years. Hisham is expected to report to ICE every month as part of his conditions of release.

Please join us in supporting Mounis and Hisham. These efforts are considered a form of financial resistance against the injustices in the system.

We fundraise for Mounis and Hisham because we believe that the US should be the land of refuge and opportunity for those escaping hardship and harm.

We fundraise because we believe that hardworking and kind people like Mounis and Hisham should not be trapped in the limbo of the system simply because of the circumstances of their nationality that he has no control over.

We fundraise because we consider this project of great important to spreading awareness of the plight of the Palestinian people fleeing from war, occupation and oppression.

Thank you for your time, consideration and support.

Best Regards,
Students for Justice in Palestine UA Chapter

Relevent Articles and Media:

Hisham Release Article (Electronic Intifada 5/28/2016):
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/gaza-refugee-finally-freed-arizona-immigration-jail  

http://www.thenation.com/article/can-you-be-deported-if-you-are-stateless/

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/gabriel-schivone/gaza-refugee-released-arizona-just-30th-birthday

AZ Daily Star (2/21/16)

http://tucson.com/news/article_7ee98b68-2f97-587b-a366-190b0d966f56.html#.Vsn8xC2YY2k.twitter

Visual graphic  by AZ Star tracing Mounis and Hisham's long journey from Gaza to Arizona

http://tucson.com/long-journey-seeking-asylum/image_c0e9cf70-9284-566a-9475-939ee9e9cc9c.html

"Mariposa Road " comic zine by Palestinian graphic novelist Leila Abdelrazaq (published Feb. 2016)

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/leila-abdelrazaq/hisham-and-mounis-besieged-gaza-us-immigration-jail

Article  in London Guardian on Hisham and Mounis (10/13/16)

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/13/why-us-put-asylum-seekers-behind-bars