On August 15, 2005 we launched a new campaign "Ibrahim for Citizen"
(view photos). The
objective is to secure US citizenship for Ibrahim. We now have the sponsorship
we need for a private bill to be brought before the US House of Representatives
and the US Senate, to grant citizenship to Ibrahim. We have compiled
the necessary documents for submission.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, introduced bills in the Senate and
House that would give Ibrahim permanent U.S. residency.
On January 17th, 2007, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, reintroduced
bills in the Senate and House that would give Ibrahim permanent U.S. residency.
We have collected over 2500 signatures and over 200 affidavits in support of the
private bill.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2007
Contacts: Tara Andringa (Levin) 202-228-3685
Sean Bonyun (Upton) 202-225-3761
Levin, Upton Introduce Bills to Give Parlak Permanent Residency
WASHINGTON - Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, introduced bills
in the Senate and House today that would give permanent U.S. residency to Mr. Ibrahim Parlak,
a Kurdish immigrant living in southwest Michigan. The Department of Homeland Security has
threatened to deport Parlak due to his failure to report on his application for permanent resident
status that he had been arrested in another country. However, Levin and Upton maintain that Parlak
disclosed in great detail his past association with the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and
his resulting imprisonment in Turkey in the 1980s when he successfully sought asylum in the
U.S. in 1991, and that he has been a model immigrant and local business owner for many years.
"Mr. Parlak is a good citizen and should be allowed to remain in the United States and
continue the honorable life that he has built for his community, his daughter, and himself all
these years," Levin said.
"Today, we renew our efforts on behalf of Ibrahim Parlak," said Upton. "
Although this is a new Congress, we remain steadfast in our commitment to Mr. Parlak as his situation
remains unresolved. The bill that I re-introduced today in the House, in tandem with
Senator Levin's measure, will grant Ibrahim Parlak and his family the peace of mind of permanent
residency in the United States. He should be given the chance to remain in his community
and raise his daughter, without any fear of arrest or deportation."
Parlak, a Kurd born in southern Turkey, came to the United States seeking asylum in 1991.
In his asylum application, Parlak disclosed that he had been associated with the PKK in the 1980s,
that he was involved in an armed skirmish at the Turkish border in 1988, and that he had been
imprisoned in Turkey as a result. In 1992, Immigration and Naturalization Service
determined that Parlak had a credible fear of returning to Turkey and granted him asylum.
The Department of Homeland Security argues that Parlak committed fraud on his I-485 (Application
to Adjust to Permanent Resident Status) because he failed to state that he had been arrested,
indicted, or convicted in any country. However, in Parlak's application for asylum
in 1991, he set forth in great detail his role in the PKK, his presence at a violent exchange
with Turkish soldiers and his trials and imprisonment in Turkey. This information was available
to the immigration official who oversaw his application for Legal Permanent Residency in 1993.
"It is incongruous to conclude that he was intentionally hiding those facts from the
Department of Justice in 1993, when he detailed them explicitly to the Department of Justice in 1991,"
Levin said.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2005
Contacts: Tara Andringa (Levin) 202-228-3685
Sean Bonyun (Upton) 202-225-3761
Levin, Upton Introduce Bills to Give Parlak Permanent Residency
WASHINGTON - Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, introduced bills in
the Senate and House today that would give permanent U.S. residency to Mr. Ibrahim Parlak, a
Kurdish immigrant living in southwest
Michigan. The Department of Homeland Security has threatened to deport Parlak
due to his failure to report that he had been arrested in another country on his
application for permanent resident status. However, Levin and Upton maintain
that Parlak disclosed in great detail his past association with the Kurdistan
Worker’s Party (PKK) and his resulting imprisonment in Turkey in the 1980s when
he successfully sought asylum in the U.S. in 1991, and that he has been a model
immigrant and local business owner for many years.
"Mr. Parlak is a good man and a model immigrant,"
Levin said. "He should be given the chance to remain in the United States and
continue the life that he has built for his community, his daughter and himself
all these years."
"The bill that I introduced in the House, in tandem with Senator
Levin's measure, will grant Ibrahim Parlak and his family the peace of mind of
permanent residency in the United States," said Upton. "Mr. Parlak should be
given the chance to remain in his community and raise his daughter, without any
fear of arrest or deportation."
Parlak, a Kurd born in southern Turkey, came to the United States
seeking asylum in 1991. In his asylum application, Parlak disclosed that he had
been associated with the PKK in the 1980s, that he was
involved in an armed skirmish at the Turkish border in 1988, and that he had
been imprisoned in Turkey as a result of these facts. In 1992, Immigration and
Naturalization Service determined that Parlak had a credible fear of returning
to Turkey and granted him asylum due to the persecution that he suffered at the
hands of the Turkish government.
The Department of Homeland Security argues that Parlak committed
fraud on his I-485 (Application to Adjust to Permanent Resident Status) because
he failed to admit that he had been arrested, indicted, or convicted in any
country. However, in Parlak’s application for asylum in 1991, he set forth in
great detail his role in the PKK, his presence at a violent exchange with
Turkish soldiers and his trials and imprisonment in Turkey. This information
was available to the immigration official who oversaw his application for Legal
Permanent Residency in 1993.
"It is incongruous to conclude that he was intentionally hiding
those facts from the Department of Justice in 1993, when he detailed them
explicitly to the Department of Justice in 1991," Levin said.
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