President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Secretary Janet Napolitano Dept.of Homeland Security U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528 Attorney General Eric Holder U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 September 21, 2009 Re: Ibrahim Parlak Dear President Obama, Secretary Napolitano & Attorney General Holder, We are writing to express our concern over the continuing legal battle of Ibrahim Parlak of Harbert, Michigan. We respectfully request that the new administration look closely into Mr. Parlak's case, terminate the deportation proceedings against him and restore the permanent resident status he first received in 1994. Mr. Parlak, a Turkish Kurd, was granted political asylum in the U.S. in 1992 after being tortured and imprisoned in Turkey. In the wake of 9/11, based on the same Kurdish activism for which he was granted asylum in the U.S., Mr. Parlak was arrested, detained and ordered deported. Released on a writ of habeas corpus by U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn, he is now pursuing his case through the U.S. court system. Throughout his ordeal Mr. Parlak has had unwavering bipartisan support from his community and its elected representatives, including Michigan's Sen. Carl Levin (D) and Rep. Fred Upton (R). On August 24, 2009, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a split decision against Mr. Parlak. In a strongly worded dissent, Judge Boyce Martin rebuked the immigration court proceedings in the Parlak case, calling it "a sad remnant of an era of paranoid, overzealous, error-riddled and misguided anti-terrorism and immigration enforcement that has now gone by the wayside." Ibrahim Parlak has done everything we ask of an immigrant who comes to this country. Through hard work and sacrifice he has built a thriving business, created jobs in a place where opportunities are few, paid his share of taxes, served his community, and been a devoted father. In his habeas corpus ruling Judge Cohn observed, "Ibrahim Parlak has been a model immigrant vigorously asserting his right to remain in the United States." We feel Mr. Parlak is the victim of a grave injustice that neither serves nor protects our country. We ask the administration to terminate the proceedings against him and restore his permanent resident status. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.