SUDANESE REFUGEE EDUCATION FUND

www.sudaneseinkentucky.org

 

Sudanese Scholar Fights to Remain in the United States

Lino Nakwa, a 29-year-old Sudanese refugee who has earned academic honors at two Kentucky colleges while single-handedly raising his four younger siblings in Louisville, may face deportation as a result of the U.S. government's recent decision to deny his application for permanent residency status.  His case has drawn widespread interest, publicity, and public protest because of the U.S. government's irrational decision to reject his "green card" application based on the same information that got him admitted to this country in 2003 as a victim of persecution.

Nakwa, a business finance major, is on the Dean's List at Transylvania University in Lexington and graduated with distinction from Jefferson Community College.  On Feb. 25, the Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) informed Nakwa that his petition for permanent residency had been denied because he allegedly received "military-type training" from a terrorist organization 17 years ago. Kidnapped by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) when he was 12 years old and forced to live in a training camp for a month before he escaped, Nakwa later made his way to refugee camps in Kenya. His father was killed by the same group that abducted Nakwa and an older brother. In the Feb. 25 letter,  the U.S. Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that Nakwa was "forced to attend a SPLA training camp for one month." But because the SPLA is listed as a terrorist group, Director Gerard Heinauer denied Nakwa's application with no option for appeal. 

Nevertheless, Kentucky Refugee Ministries Attorney Teresa Powell has filed a legal appeal on Nakwa's behalf, citing the USCIS's March 26 notification that it would reconsider some immigrants' cases based on exemptions under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008.

Your Responses Have Helped!

April 18, 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has decided to reopen and reconsider Lino Nakwa's case. Kentucky Refugee Ministries Attorney Teresa Powell' s legal motion, along with supporting letters from Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) and other concerned citizens within the last week, prompted the government agency to take prompt action. 

Members of Kentucky's Congressional delegation, responding to hundreds of phone calls and letters from Nakwa's supporters in the past few days, also have decided to intervene in his case.

 “The outpouring of support for Mr. Nakwa has been extraordinary," Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Lexington) said in a press release distributed on April 18.

"Many throughout Kentucky have been touched by the story of Lino Nakwa," Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) said in a joint statement issued with Rep. Chandler.

 Republican Sen. Jim Bunning  also contacted Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Nakwa's behalf this week.

Read about the latest efforts to support Lino Nakwa. See "U.S. to review immigration status of Transylvania student" in The Courier-Journal and "Deportation case granted federal review" in the Herald-Leader.

As positive as these developments are, they do not yet mean that the denial of Nakwa's permanent residency status has been overturned. Stay tuned for further developments.

How to Take Action:

Call or write a letter asking government officials to reconsider Nakwa's petition for permanent residency status. Refer to USCIS case file LIN0626050570.

F. Gerard Heinauer, Director, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, P.O. Box 82521, Lincoln, NE 68501-2521.

Kentucky's Congressional Delegation:

Honorable Mitch McConnell, United States Senate, 361-A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. (202) 224-2541. Fax: (202) 224-2499. Louisville office: (502) 582-6304.

Honorable Jim Bunning, 316 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. (202) 224-4343. Fax: (202) 228-1373. Lexington office: 771 Corporate Dr., Suite 105, Lexington, KY 40503. (859) 219-2239. Fax: (859) 219-3269. Toll free: (800) 283-8983.

Honorable John Yarmuth, 319 Cannon House Office Building, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.  (202) 225-5401. Fax: 202-225-5776. Romano Mazzoli Federal Building 600 Martin Luther King Jr. Place, Suite 216, Louisville, KY 40202. (502) 582-5129. Fax: (502) 582-5897.

Honorable Ben Chandler, 1504 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-4706. Fax:  (202) 225-2122. Lexington office: (859) 219-1366.

See "Immigration technicality snares refugee" in the Herald-Leader.

"Our congressional delegation must demand that Citizenship and Immigration Services restore common sense to this dangerous muddle," Lexington's Herald-Leader urges in an April 16, 2008 editorial. See "Don't deport Sudanese refugee."

See "Transy student fears deportation back to Sudan" in The Kentucky Kernel.

Transylvania University students staged a "phone-a-thon" on April 17 to support fellow student Lino Nakwa, handing out cell phones to students and faculty so they could call Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and Congressman Ben Chandler on his behalf. See "Call to Action" for other campus news.

See "Transylvania Student Could be Deported" on WTVQ News.

See "Perfectly Legal Immigrants, Until They Applied for Citizenship" in The New York Times.

See "U.S. to Stop Green Card Denial for Dissidents" in the Washington Post.

See "Stalwart Service for U.S. in Iraq is Not Enough to Gain Green Card" in the Washington Post.