BOSTON Niberd Abdalla can finally call the United States home. The Iraqi immigrant recently won a four-year battle to win citizenship after an immigration judge granted him permanent legal status but that watershed moment followed a decades-long struggle to become an American citizen. After overstaying his visa in the 1970s to take care of his infirm parents, Abdalla lived in Western .
Iraqi immigrant Niberd Abdalla wins decades-long battle over U S citizenship; Welcome to America, judge says masslive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from masslive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Immigration court grants ex-Florence resident legal status
Niberd Abdalla and his wife Ellen McShane sit in attorney Buz Eisenberg’s office after Abdalla’s release from Suffolk County House of Correction in Boston in January 2018 after being held for seven months. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
Niberd Abdalla during his incarceration the Suffolk County House of Correction under the control of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being detained during a regular meeting with ICE on June 8, 2017. Abdalla spoke of his experiences within the correctional facility, his medical difficulties, and the possible deportment to Iraq on August 4, 2017. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
Published: 5/14/2021 12:30:56 PM
NORTHAMPTON A federal immigration judge has granted permanent legal status to a local Iraqi immigrant and former Florence resident who immigration authorities jailed and attempted to deport four years ago.
‘Now I’m going home’: Irida Kakhtiranova, supporters celebrate immigrant’s exit from church sanctuary
Irida Kakhtiranova gives Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz an elbow bump and thanks him for his support during her time in sanctuary during a press conference Thursday to announce that her asylum case has been reopened, allowing her to apply for residency. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS
Irida Kakhtiranova thanks friends in the crowd gathered outside the Unitarian Society in Northampton, Thursday. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS
Irida Kakhtiranova smiles during a press conference announcing that her case has been opened allowing her to apply for residency. Since April 6, 2018, Kakhtiranova has been in sanctuary at the Unitarian Society in Northampton. Here she was describing how excited she was to go home and spend her anniversary with her husband and family. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS