Categories
Miscellany

Sima comes home

Sima Fallahi is home in Carrboro.

Got an email last night from Bob Wright of the news and about the long days and drives back and forth as the bureaucracy lurched ahead ever so slowly. She’s happy, of course, and thankful of the support. But the ordeal is not over. From Bob’s note:

The legal hurdles (and legal expenses) are not over. Sima is under supervised release and must report periodically to the ICE office in Charlotte. Because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not opposed Sima’s motion to reopen the proceedings on Sima’s deportation order, it is very likely that the motion will be granted. However, DHS reserves the right to challenge the merits of this case. It may take several months for the immigration court to make a decision. If the order is lifted, Sima must then reapply for political asylum. Sima will be able to stay in this country only if she gets political asylum.

We are thankful for the support that the community has provided to Sima and Leila. First, we appreciate the many messages that our elected officials and community members sent to Representative David Price, which encouraged him to ask ICE to keep Sima in Charlotte, rather than in Atlanta. This action allowed Leila to visit Sima weekly, which was important for the well-being of both mother and daughter. Second the community’s contributions to the legal defense fund has helped to pay for the excellent legal representation that Jorgelina Araneda and Randall Stroud have provided for Sima. Third, we are thankful for the families of Leila’s classmates who have helped Leila maintain normal social interactions in a very stressful time for her. We are also thankful for the many gifts that have been sent to Leila. Finally, we appreciate all the work that Jackie Helvey has done to create and maintain the web site about Sima and Leila (www.carrboro.com/sima). The web site has been and continues to be an important communications channel to generate community support. To keep up to date with information about Sima and Leila, please check www.carrboro.com/sima.

Also, woke up to this nicely done story in the DTH.

“I knew I had friends, but I didn’t know how many,” she said