WASHINGTON D.C. (WKZO-AM) — Berrien County restaurateur Ibrahim Parlak has a new ally on his side after meeting with Congressman Fred Upton on Wednesday.
Parlak won asylum in the 1980s because he was tortured as a member of an opposition group in Turkey.
The U.S. later reclassified that group as a terrorist organization, and the Department of Homeland Security changed his status.
Rep. Upton recruited Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, for help, and they are now fighting to change Parlak’s status so he can stay in the U.S.
“The hurdles they have put this man through are not humane,” Upton said. “It has got to change.” Parlak says it’s good to have friends and officials willing to help him stay in the country.
“It’s a great feeling,” Parlak said. “It’s my country, and I’m not going to give up easily.”
He was granted another 90-day stay from deportation on Wednesday, which was approved after Upton talked with the Department of Homeland Security.
Parlak also had a powerful friend in Sen. Carl Levin, but his retirement has left Parlak vulnerable.
– John McNeill
