State Department Rejects Visas For Family Of Former Afghan Translator Shot, Paralyzed In Dallas
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Mahir Ahmad Amiri sits in a hospital unit, no longer able to communicate with his wife or children. His medical condition worsened a week ago, even with the critical injuries sustained three months ago.
Someone shot Amiri several times outside a far northeast Dallas gas station near Ferguson and I-635.
The gunman remains unknown.
"If I knew his job was so dangerous, I would've stopped him," his wife Zahra said Tuesday, with the assistance of a translator.
Her husband was also a translator.
Amiri spent seven years assisting the U.S. Military, as a interpreter. The job was a dangerous one for any Afghanistan citizen. Amiri translated for the military for seven years.
In 2016, he was granted a Special Immigrant Visa, designed for Afghans or Iraqis who worked with U.S. Armed Forces. He, along with his wife and three children, made a new life in Burleson.
Until he was shot.
Zahra Amiri needs help.
"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.
Ahmed Amiri's parents have filed for visas to visit their critically injured son. Three times they've been denied.
"I feel betrayed for the work he has done, and now they don't want to return the same," she said. "I'm asking them to please. I need it. I need the help."
A letter from Congressman Collin Allred was sent to U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, John Bass, asking for consideration for Amiri's parents "to say their final goodbyes."
A State Department spokesperson told CBS 11 Tuesday night, "Visa records are confidential under the Immigration and Nationality Act. As a result, we are not able to discuss specific cases. Visa applications are adjudicated according to U.S. immigration law, and each case is considered on a case by case basis."
Attorney Dobrina Ustun, who is representing the Amiri family said, "He was there when the U.S. needed him. He risked his life and his families life. When we need the U.S. government to help, we only get the door. I just think it's appalling," she said.
Zahra Amiri knows her husband may die. She wants the man who shot him caught, but she also wants her husband's parents to be shown an act of respect, as an act of kindness in the midst of heartbreak.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the Amiri family pay for Ahmad's medical care.
