WASHINGTON — During his nearly four years as a translator for U.S. forces in Iraq, Saman Kareem Ahmad was known for his bravery and hard work.
“Sam put his life on the line with, and for, coalition forces on a daily basis,” wrote Marine Capt. Trent Gibson.
Gibson’s letter was part of a thick file of support, including commendations from the secretary of the Navy and from then-Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, that helped Ahmad migrate to the United States in 2006, among an initial group of 50 Iraqi and Afghan translators admitted under a special visa program.
Last month, however, the U.S. government turned down Ahmad’s application for permanent residence, known as a green card. His offense: Ahmad had once been part of the Kurdish Democratic Party, which U.S. immigration officials deemed an “undesignated terrorist organization” for having sought to overthrow former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Ahmad, a Kurd, once served in the KDP’s military force, which is part of the new Iraqi army. A U.S. ally, the KDP is now the elected government of the Kurd ish region and holds seats in the Iraqi parliament. After consulting public websites, however, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services determined that KDP forces “conducted full-scale armed attacks and helped incite rebellions against Hussein’s regime, most notably during the Iran-Iraq war, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
Ahmad’s association with a group that had attempted to overthrow a government rendered him “inadmissible,” the agency concluded in a three-page letter dated Feb. 26.
In an interview Friday at Quantico Marine Corps Base, where he teaches Arabic language and culture to Marines deploying to Iraq, Ahmad’s voice quavered.
“I am shamed,” he said. He has put off his plans to marry a seamstress who tailors Marine uniforms. “I don’t want my family live in America; they feel ashamed I’m with a terrorist group. I want them to be proud for what I did for the United States Marine Corps.”
Retired Marine Capt. Jason Schauble, who returned from Iraq in 2004 after being wounded, is Ahmad’s official sponsor. In a letter he appended last week to Ahmad’s immigration file, Schauble condemned whatever “faceless bureaucracy” rejected the application.
USCIS spokesman Peter Vietti said regulations keep him from commenting, adding denials could only be appealed in court. After inquiries about Ahmad, he said, “I can tell you the matter is being looked into.”
