Syrian man in Wisconsin closer to reuniting with family as Trump travel order remains blocked
MADISON - A Syrian man may be getting close to being reunited with his family as President Donald Trump's immigration order remains blocked in the asylum recipient's case.
In a filing in federal court in Madison, a top Department of Homeland Security official said he's directing a U.S. office in Jordan to process packets from the Syrian man's wife and daughter before March 28.
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The court declaration by Roman Ginzburg, the federal official in charge of handling requests by relatives of asylum recipients, could lead to interviews for the woman and girl in Jordan on April 20 and at least a chance of arriving in the United States by May. Lawyers for the man have been working feverishly on behalf of the Syrian, whose 3-year-old son died there in 2015 because of a rocket attack.
"We are very pleased that our client’s derivative asylum applications are being processed and that his family will be interviewed for entry into the United States," said Vincent Levy, an attorney for the Syrian man. "We also remain committed to challenging the Trump administration’s unconstitutional executive order for as long as our client’s family and others like his remain in danger.”
Citing the seriousness of the case, U.S. District Judge William Conley in Madison has put a limited freeze on Trump's revised immigration order, which restricts immigration from six mostly Muslim nations including Syria. Conley’s order applies only to the Syrian man and lasts until his case can be resolved, ensuring the government will keep working on the man's asylum request for his family while he challenges Trump’s latest immigration limits.
"Given the daily threat to the lives of plaintiff's wife and child remaining in Aleppo, Syria, the court further finds a significant risk of irreparable harm," Conley wrote in a brief order earlier this month.
The Syrian man arrived in the United States in 2014 and was granted asylum in 2016 because he had been persecuted. He believes his wife and 3-year-old daughter were near to having asylum granted before Trump became president and issued two immigration orders, an initial one that was blocked by courts and a revised order meant to respond to those legal challenges.
The president and his administration have argued that the immigration order could make the United States safer from Islamic terrorists. Critics say the order unfairly targets a particular religion and doesn't cover many countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan that have a history of connections to terrorists.
The man, who lives in Dane County, has been allowed to pursue his case anonymously to protect the identity of his wife and daughter in Syria.
Underscoring the danger to the man's family, the Syrian's lawsuit notes that the man's son died two years ago when the toddler fell three floors while trying to escape his home when it was hit with rocket fire.