Causes
Bristol County veteran continues charge to grant freedom for Iraqi family who paid price for aiding United States military
Someone once said, “a promise is a promise”. Nobody takes a promise more seriously than a certain Bristol County veteran.
Raynham’s Peter Farley bravely served in the Iraq war, and he is doing everything in his power to make sure that a promise for freedom and a new life in America is kept.
According to Farley, “it has been nearly fifteen years since Mohammed Al-Baidhani, a father of six living in Iraq, first asked the United States government for help. His family had answered the call to serve when the American military needed interpreters, with his brother and two sons working as translators and technicians on US military bases. In return, the US government promised immigrant visas to those whose lives were threatened because of their work with the US military.”
“Mohammed had grim yet ample evidence of the threats to his family. His brother was found dead in a dumpster, killed by terrorists because of his work with US forces. His eldest son barely survived being shot three times in the face and arm when leaving a U.S. military base. His next eldest son received a separate bullet, this time wrapped in a note saying that the bullet was meant for his heart because he worked with the Americans.”
“Mohammed’s three oldest children were eventually granted resettlement in America under the law, promising immigrant visas for those who had come under threat of death because of their work with the American military. The refugee visas for Mohammed, along with his wife and three younger children, would take years longer while the family lived in fear for their lives.”
“Over the years spent waiting for their refugee visas, the family’s hardships grew: Mohammed suffered acute kidney failure with no treatment options in Iraq; his youngest daughter couldn’t go to school over fears for her safety; their younger brothers couldn’t make a life for themselves as they grew older or else lose their designation as children under immigration law. The family was once forced to flee to Turkey as their neighborhood in Iraq became infested with the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia who began spreading word the family was marked for death as traitors.”
Hope and then disappointment plagued their immigrant visa case as they experienced an approval, a rejection, an appeal, another approval, and finally a “Muslim Ban” by Trump that dragged their case on for years without progress despite legal, congressional, and community advocacy on their behalf. It would have been easy for the family to simply give up all hope at this point.
But there are those, such as Farley, who never forgot the promise that was made to them- resettle this family to safety for all that they sacrificed for our country. Finally, after months of reinvigorated urgency and attention to their case, Mohammed received a call from the International Organization for Migration stating they are finalizing the immigrant visas for him and his family to resettle in the United States in January 2025.
Farley created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Mohammed’s family be able to afford five plane tickets and other travel expenses. The community support far exceeded Farley’s expectations with over $11,000 raised in just 2 days. Now he hopes to raise additional funds to use towards all the costs associated with resettling a refugee family, including housing, transportation, clothing, and other essential items that will allow them to integrate, contribute, and build their American dream.
One of Mohammed’s sons, Farley’s interpreter while in Iraq, lived in Bristol County with Farley in Taunton for about two years when he arrived in America years ago. He now lives in the Worcester area and is married. The new family that is arriving will settle with Farley’s interpreter’s siblings down in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area.
Kudos to a brave soldier who made sure the United States kept their promise and to those who contributed to make it a reality.
