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Iraqi interpreter whose citizenship fight was profiled in the Times to become an American

 
Interpreter Haeder Alanbki with U.S. forces in Iraq in 2004. (Photo courtesy of Haeder Alanbki)
Interpreter Haeder Alanbki with U.S. forces in Iraq in 2004. (Photo courtesy of Haeder Alanbki)
Published July 20, 2018

An interpreter who risked his life helping U.S. forces in Iraq and then fought for two years to become a U.S. citizen will soon be an American.

On Friday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service notified Haeder Alanbki, 36, that his request for citizenship has been approved and a ceremony has been scheduled.

The approval comes weeks after Alanbki's plight was featured in the Tampa Bay Times.

"This was the longest two years," said Alanbki, a Florida Army National Guard private first class currently training at Camp Blanding. "The voice of the people can change a lot."

Alanbki, who now lives in Orlando, said he was stabbed four times and shot while serving with U.S. forces in Iraq. Soldiers who served with him said he was facing certain death back home and had a $25,000 bounty on his head. His brother, also an interpreter, was killed while serving with U.S. forces in Iraq.

Two years ago, Alanbki came to Florida ago as a permanent legal resident under the Special Immigration Visa program, created to bring those who helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq into the country. The visa requires stringent background vetting. In addition, once here, Alanbki received four security guard licenses from the state that required vetting and had additional background checks to get into the National Guard.

In addition, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's office reached out to USCIS on Alanbki's behalf.

Despite all that, the immigration service did not grant Alanbki's request. Last year, at a naturalization ceremony at Fort Benning, Alanbki was pulled out of line and told he wouldn't be receiving his citizenship that day even though many soldiers from other countries did. He has been waiting ever since, checking his status online routinely to no avail.

Last month, Alanbki sued the government, claiming he was being denied citizenship due to a shadowy vetting process called the "Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program'' which secretly blacklisted him as a national security concern despite having passed numerous background checks.

The same program is at the heart of a class-action lawsuit challenging provisions of President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order preventing people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from obtaining visas. All are majority Muslim countries.

The program is not new. It was created in 2008 by the George W. Bush administration and also used under President Barack Obama. Opponents say it is aimed at keeping people from Muslim-majority nations from gaining U.S. citizenship.

Between 2008 and 2012, more than 19,000 people from 21 Muslim-majority countries or regions were brought under this program, according to both lawsuits. It is unclear how many eventually were denied citizenship or how long their applications were delayed.

The bulk of the 19,000 cases came during the Obama administration. But Alanbki's attorney James Hacking says he is seeing an uptick under Trump of already-screened applicants having their citizenship requests delayed. His suit seeks to have the program ruled unconstitutional.

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"We are happy to see that USCIS has done the right thing and scheduled Haeder for naturalization," Hacking said. "It's sort of sad that it took litigation to get a federal agency to do its job, but we are thrilled for our client."

The immigration service declined comment about Alanbki's status, saying it does not speak about individual cases.

Alanbki does not know for sure what day his naturalization ceremony will be. While he was notified online that it has been scheduled, the specifics are sent via mail.

Typically, the ceremonies are scheduled a short time after notification. That means Alanbki, who is drilling with his unit until July 29, may need the permission of his commanders, who have supported his citizenship fight, to attend the ceremony.

Guard officials could not immediately comment.

Alanbki, who has yet to tell his two children because he is still on duty, says he is grateful.

"It was stressful and painful," he said of his two-year fight for citizenship. "But now I know I am part of this country, which I fought for and bled for."

Contact Howard Altman at haltman@tampabay.com or (813) 225-3112. Follow @haltman