(15-07-23) LEWISTON, ME – Fowziya Weheliye, a Somali refugee and now U.S. citizen, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Friday, urging a resolution to her decade-long family separation. She seeks to reunite with her husband, Bashir Awale, who resides in a refugee camp in Uganda, while she and their four children live in the U.S.
The lawsuit, filed by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), highlights the agonising delays faced by families in the reunification process.
After their home in Somalia was bombed, Ms. Weheliye and her children fled to the U.S., while Mr. Awale was kidnapped in Libya. Upon his release three years later, Ms. Weheliye filed a follow-to-join application for her husband, but their case has seen no movement for over five years.
The case underlines the struggle faced by tens of thousands of refugees in the U.S. who are subjected to protracted waits due to bureaucratic delays in the family reunification process. This lawsuit represents an urgent call for more efficient, equitable, and transparent immigration reform.
