Afghan Parents Granted 3-Month Visa To Visit Son Who Was Critically Injured In Dallas Shooting
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - After being denied three times, the parents of a former Afghan translator who was critically injured in a shooting in Dallas have been granted a three-month visa to visit their son.
An attorney for the family said Ahmad Amiri's parents, who live in Afghanistan, received a call from the U.S. embassy after a CBS 11 report on the plight of the parents.
Amiri had worked for seven years as a translator for the U.S. Armed Services in Afghanistan. He was granted a special immigrant visa in 2016 and moved to Dallas with his wife, Zahra, and his children.
He was shot four times in December while working as a security guard in far northeast Dallas.
Before his parents were given the three-month visa, Amiri's wife was desperate for help to get the parents to see their son during a trying time.
"I need his parents now. There's a huge need for them to be here, I need them. I'm alone. My kids need the support of them," she said.
The situation grabbed the attention of congressman Colin Allred, who sent a letter to the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, asking for consideration for Amiri's parents "to say their final goodbyes."
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the Amiri family pay for Ahmad's medical care.