BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)– An Afghanistan woman living in Baton Rouge is hoping for a happy reunion after her family was forced to stay behind.
Marzia Askari is a wife and mother from Afghanistan. Before moving to the U.S., Askari was a security manager who was working to arrest members of the Taliban.
“It’s almost more than two years that I didn’t see my husband and son. My son was just four years old when I left him,” Askari said.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, many were released from prison making Askari and her family a target to be killed or tortured. So, she filed an I-131 advancement parole document for her family to reside in the U.S.
“I wrote a letter to USCIS. I explain to them my family life is not safe in Pakistan. I need your help to expedite my family’s case,” Askari said.
For the past two years, Askari’s husband and now 6-year-old son have been in hiding. On Wednesday, she spoke with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy’s office to ask about the status of the I-131 form.
She said her application had been pending for a little over a year. Cassidy’s office said they are working diligently to get her application processed.
“Senator Cassidy’s office recently spoke with Mrs. Askari to help her husband and son leave Afghanistan. She supported the U.S. war effort, and her family is in danger of retribution from the Taliban. She recently filled out our privacy release form, and we followed up with USCIS expressing our interest in this case,” a spokesperson for Cassidy said.
“We will continue to follow up on this case, to help Mrs. Askari reunite with her family. Senator Cassidy appreciates the opportunity to help his constituent, and we’re grateful she contacted our office. Any constituent who has an issue with any federal agency can call 225-929-7711 for assistance,” Cassidy’s spokesperson said.
“I ask the U.S. government to help our family once again,” Askuri said.
She also filed an I-730 petition for refuge in June 2023, which is still pending.
