Iraqi family now can fly to U.S., 'land where our dreams will come true'

IRBIL, Iraq — Saif Ali Sadiq, who spent years working for a security contractor supporting U.S. efforts in Iraq, now has tickets to fly to the United States on Thursday, after he scuttled an earlier flight because of President Trump's travel ban.

"Now we can fly to the land where our dreams will come true, where my children can be safe, far away from the violence and a miserable life," he said. "I want to convey a message to all people going through the same situation — never give up."

Sadiq and numerous others were caught amid the fast-moving legal developments in the week since Trump signed his executive order Jan. 27 blocking refugees and citizens from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya Somalia and Yemen from coming to the U.S. for three months. A federal judge on Friday put the ban on hold, and an appellate court is reviewing the case.

Refugees race clock to enter U.S. while courts weigh ban

Sadiq, 35, was an information technology technician in Baghdad with a company doing work for the U.S. Agency for International Development when he received threatening letters calling him a traitor in 2013. He said he took a copy of one letter to the U.S. Embassy, which got the process started for him to get a special immigrant visa to go to the United States.

A four-month visa finally came through for him, his wife and their three children, and they had tickets to leave Baghdad on Jan. 30, three days before Trump signed his executive order. In preparing for the trip, Sadiq had quit his job and sold his possessions, including his house.

"I lost everything," he said a week ago, starting to cry, "My life, my house, my car, my job. I don't know what we are going to do."

Four days ago the United Nation's International Organization for Migration asked him to resubmit his paperwork and proof of travel. Then on Thursday, the U.S. Embassy told him he can go to the U.S.. His travel would be permitted by a revision to the executive order affecting special immigrant visa holders who include interpreters and others who worked with the U.S. government in Iraq.

"I feel much better," Sadiq said. "The feeling is unexplainable. They saved me from a big tragedy."

Wael Resol, 30, a Syrian who serves as an interpreter for journalists in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, said his hopes of living the American dream in Texas with his U.S.-born wife have been rekindled by the court's recent actions.

"What the judge did shows that law and order is still working" in the United States, Resol said Sunday.

"I think American people want their country to be secure and protected, and they have the right to be secure. More vetting procedures to ensure safety is OK. But banning all people from a country is wrong," he added.

Resol said his wife, Katy McGarr of Amarillo, Texas, is a teacher who moved to northern Iraq to be with him. She wants to go back home, where he had hoped to get a master's degree in linguistics and buy a house in Texas. There's still a long wait ahead, even if the courts lift the ban.

"We are still waiting for the interview," he said about the lengthy vetting process. "We think it will be after five or six months. We are finished with the paperwork."

Meanwhile, New York-based International Refugee Assistance Project urged those with valid visas to take advantage of the temporary freeze on travel restrictions and “attempt to get on a plane as soon as possible.”

Betsy Fisher, policy director for the group, said the legal turmoil of the past few days has caused some travelers from the restricted countries to bear the expense of buying new plane tickets and lodging.

“There’s uncertainty as to how long the stay will be in place and also which groups it will be in place for,” she said.

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said any traveler affected by the restrictions is now protected once the person reaches U.S. soil.

“People who are traveling now and get here do not have to worry if the appeals court overturns the order,” Gelernt said.

The situation may be more difficult for refugees, who rely on the U.N. and other international organizations to make needed travel arrangements for resettlement in the United States.

Refugees "can’t just go to an airport and get a flight for themselves," said Sasha Chanoff, executive director of the advocacy group RefugePoint. He said if travel plans are interrupted, the refugees can be forced to return to unsafe conditions.

"This is a life and death situation for people," he said.

Reilly reported from McLean, Va.