Here & Now

Middleton Family Of Syrians Describe Journey

Frederica Freyberg:

President Trump released another executive order this week aimed at immigration. This one indefinitely blocks Syrian refugees from entering the United States and suspends immigration for at least 30 days from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa, while authorities work to toughen screening procedures. All of this happening as a Syrian refugee living and working in Middleton waits for word on his application for asylum that he filed nearly three years ago. We visited him last winter when he was certain he’d be granted that asylum any day. He says the waiting has been excruciating and new executive actions around Syrian refugees add little comfort.

Mousa Aldashash:

It was I think the first six months was the hardest thing. Especially every day when you go outside to open the mailbox, you know.

Frederica Freyberg:

Mousa Aldashash had his interview for asylum with an immigration officer in Chicago in May of 2014.

Mousa Aldashash:

And the worst part was like when the officer told me it was going to take the decision three weeks. So, you know, every day, every single day after those three weeks was like every time I go to open the mailbox, you know, putting my hand in my heart. It was very tough.

Frederica Freyberg:

He says at first he thought just telling the officer he fled from Syria would be all the words needed to explain why he sought asylum.

Mousa Aldashash:

People killed. Cities destroyed.

Frederica Freyberg:

Aldashash and his family escaped the death and destruction in the spring of 2013, driving seven days and switching cars three times through danger zones to reach the Turkish border and then on to a flight to Chicago. He described the harrowing escape to us when we first met.

Mousa Aldashash:

I took my wife and my daughter from house.

Frederica Freyberg:

And you said that you had to take a really circuitous route to —

Mousa Aldashash:

To avoid ISIS, avoid Assad regime.

Frederica Freyberg:

Aldashash said he studied business in college and worked for a global construction company in his home country. But he says he knew he had to get out to save his family when bombs destroyed their home. Aldashash escaped with his wife, baby daughter, his parents and a nephew. His brother had resettled in Middleton years earlier and so the family moved to be near him. Since Mousa and his wife Khlood arrived, they had another baby, a little boy. His parents were granted asylum based on his application, but why the wait for him?

Mousa Aldashash:

It's just going to take time of checking the background. But for me, the problem is — like I don’t know how these things work. I’m not worried about…

Frederica Freyberg:

His lawyer says while her client has nothing to hide, because of the destruction of the country, the U.S. government has a terribly difficult time, she says, obtaining the information they need to assess the security risks or absence thereof in the backgrounds of refugees coming from Syria. So the wait could be based on careful vetting, with calls for even more scrutiny. In a letter congratulating Donald Trump on his election, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker specifically asked the new president for more input in the refugee resettlement process for refugees from countries with terrorist ties, saying, quote, we would like our state to have a broader role in determining how many refugees and from which countries until we are comfortable with the vetting process that is being utilized to screen these individuals.

Scott Walker:

I think really for us we want to make sure Homeland Security has an aggressive and appropriate vetting process. That we have an idea who’s coming in, where they’re coming from, how long they’re anticipating being here.

Frederica Freyberg:

Aldashash and his family hope to stay permanently. They currently have temporary protected status, meaning Syria is designated as too dangerous for deporting people. Aldashash in no way expects that. He has never even considered that he won’t be granted asylum.

Mousa Aldashash:

Oh, my god. I never — I never thought about that. You just say the words, like, you know.

Frederica Freyberg:

He has work papers and is employed. He is mastering English and soon his daughter will be in school. They have lived in Middleton for nearly four years.

Mousa Aldashash:

I just start to build my life. I start to live like normal, you know, everything’s going on, even if I’m still like — I want to feel like everything, I'm related to this land.

Frederica Freyberg:

He says as he rebuilds his life in this new land, he doesn’t often allow himself to look back, because he says, in his home country there’s nothing left but the pain. Senator Tammy Baldwin's office made an inquiry with immigration officials on behalf of Mousa Aldashash because of his concern over the delay. The Chicago asylum office responded that it is actively processing the case, but has to perform additional review resulting in the longer processing time.