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Imam angry at delay in getting green card
Daniel González
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 26, 2006 12:00 AM

Sheik Latif Al-Khafaji hobbled back from his kitchen carrying a tray of sodas, jostling slightly from side to side because of a limp.

For the past hour, Khafaji, the Iraqi spiritual leader of the Valley's 5,000 Shiite Muslims, had explained how he was tortured for opposing Saddam Hussein's regime. How he came to the United States six years ago as a refugee believing this country was a land of freedom and justice. And how he now feels as though the government is treating him unfairly.

The problem, he said, is getting his green card, allowing the holder to live and work permanently in the United States, and the first step toward becoming a citizen. He first applied for the card in 2001 but still is waiting, unable to clear an FBI background check. advertisement

It's a problem shared by thousands of other immigrants and refugees with Middle Eastern and Arab-sounding names, mostly men, immigrant advocates say. Government officials acknowledge the delays, saying it is the cost of national security.

Still, Khafaji can't understand why his case is taking so long. His situation is especially frustrating, he said, because of his lifelong opposition to Saddam. What's more, his Syrian-born wife and three children received their green cards within a year of applying, even though all the family members applied at the same time. In January, his wife became a U.S. citizen.

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