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March 3, 2008
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) -- Ali, an Iraqi refugee, is back in his homeland now, missing by just two days an opportunity to legalize his status in Lebanon.
Ali left Iraq in 1999. Because he entered Lebanon illegally, he was arrested and put in a detention center.
There, he found two groups praying in Arabic: Christians from southern Sudan and Muslims. Ali chose to pray with the Sudanese prisoners. He read the Gospel once, then repeatedly until he knew it practically by heart.
At his insistence, the Christians baptized him in the prison shower. For that, he was beaten by the guards, which he accepted for the sake of his new faith.
When Ali was released from prison nine months later, the Sudanese took him to a priest.
"I instructed him further and baptized and confirmed him formally, giving him a new name," said the priest, who asked that his name not be used when he told Ali's story in an interview with Catholic News Service. "He was never shy about professing his Christian faith, and he even brought some of his Muslim friends to me."
According to a document from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Ali was accepted in August 2001 for resettlement in the United States. But then came Sept. 11 and new policies that restricted resettlement. The UNHCR kept Ali on its list of candidates for resettlement until he received a form letter from U.S. Homeland Security in 2006 declaring him ineligible.
"It was a purely bureaucratic move to clear out and tidy up their refugee lists," the priest said, adding that a lawyer in the U.S. tried to help Ali, but without success.
Ali then stayed on in Lebanon undocumented, but several employers had to lay him off. They feared the search by the Lebanese General Security -- the national police responsible for illegal immigrants. Employing undocumented Iraqis would jeopardize their businesses, and they would have to pay hefty fines.
After a year without steady work and a recent surge in arrests of Iraqis working illegally in Lebanon, Ali faced a choice: If police found him, they would put him in jail for a month, then ship him back to Iraq. Instead, he chose to go voluntarily, knowing the risk, but having faith in God.
With financial help from the priest, Ali bought the cheapest ticket and flew back to Iraq. Two days later, the Lebanese government announced a new policy for undocumented Iraqi refugees: If they can find an employer to sponsor them within three months, they may apply for a work permit and legalize their status.
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