Help Keep a Promise for Freedom and a New Life in America

It has been nearly fifteen years since Mohammed Al-Baidhani, a father of six living in Iraq, first asked the United States government for help. His family had answered the call to serve when the American military needed interpreters, with his brother and two sons working as translators and technicians on US military bases. In return, the US government promised immigrant visas to those whose lives were threatened because of their work with the US military.

Mohammed had grim yet ample evidence of the threats to his family. His brother was found dead in a dumpster, killed by terrorists because of his work with US forces. His eldest son barely survived being shot three times in the face and arm when leaving a U.S. military base. His next eldest son received a separate bullet, this time wrapped in a note saying that the bullet was meant for his heart because he worked with the Americans.

Mohammed’s three oldest children were eventually granted resettlement in America under the law promising immigrant visas for those who had come under threat of death because of their work with the American military. The refugee visas for Mohammed, along with his wife and three younger children, would take years longer while the family lived in fear for their lives.

Over the years spent waiting for their refugee visas, the family’s hardships grew: Mohammed suffered acute kidney failure with no treatment options in Iraq; his youngest daughter couldn’t go to school over fears for her safety; their younger brothers couldn’t make a life for themselves as they grew older or else lose their designation as children under immigration law. The family was once forced to flee to Turkey as their neighborhood in Iraq became infested with the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia who began spreading word the family was marked for death as traitors.

Hope and then disappointment plagued their immigrant visa case as they experienced an approval, a rejection, an appeal, another approval, and finally a “Muslim Ban” that dragged their case on for years without progress despite legal, congressional, and community advocacy on their behalf. It would have been easy for the family to simply give up all hope at this point.

But there are those who never forgot the promise that was made to them in our name: resettle this family to safety for all that they sacrificed for our country. Finally, after months of reinvigorated urgency and attention to their case, Mohammed received a call from the International Organization for Migration stating they are finalizing the immigrant visas for him and his family to resettle in the United States in January 2025.

We are seeking donations from our community who have followed Mohammed’s journey for so long to help his family be able to afford five plane tickets and other travel expenses.

We hope to well-exceed our original goal of $10,000 for plane tickets so we can additionally help this family with housing and resettlement costs.

Please consider contributing any amount you can and accept our deepest gratitude for all your support.

-Peter Farley, US Army Veteran who served with Mohammed's son

-May Whitaker, Pro Bon Attorney who has worked on the case since 2011