The United States had come up with a fast track immigrant visa programme for the Iraqi translators and interpreters. Visa was granted to the people who worked for US for at least a year as interpreters in Iraq. Many of the interpreters in Iraq were killed and many lost their families. Ibrahim moved in US under this visa scheme with the help of Captain Jason Faler, the Oregon Army National Guard intelligence officer. Ibrahim served as an interpreter between the senior Iraqi officials and the Faler’s intelligence team.
After loosing his part time job of teaching Arabic to the Oregon Army National Guard soldiers, Ibrahim as applied to more than 100 places including but hasn’t received any reply. Total eight Iraqi and Afghani translators had moved to Oregon, but most of them have left the state for better employment opportunities.
Ibrahim lives in a small apartment in Salem with his wife and three children. The speedy visa assistance by the US government has caused his son’s treatment for Autism to be more complicated. The Salem based foundation that assisted the treatment of his son has so far, received only one donation. His family is surviving on unemployment benefits; they in fact deserve more compensation but are constantly denied by Salem office as reported by the social security spokesperson.
Becca Heller is the attorney of the Iraq Refugee Assistance Programme which promises the refugees to respectfully integrate in to the society. Faler at the moment is outside the state on an official duty. He believes that that speedy immigrant was a failure. He requested the right attorney to represent Mr. Ibrahim. The visa obtained under this category caused the education and other credentials to be stripped off. The result was the Iraqi interpreters had to look out for unskilled jobs and live in cheap housing arrangements.
The Iraqi immigrants will definitely take time in efficiently merging with the American culture and life style, but Ibrahim is determined to bring his children normally, he keeps going to the social security office or looking out for work. He is hopeful of a better future.
