Now that he’s no longer in danger of being deported to Turkey, Harbert restauranteur Ibrahim Parlak is weighing his next moves.
The federal government on Friday allowed a deadline to pass for it to appeal a judge’s ruling that prevents Parlak’s deportation. Parlak tells us the judge found Turkey’s human rights record poor enough to mean he would be tortured if returned there, something the Department of Homeland Security apparently couldn’t dispute.
“There was nothing to defend,” Parlak said. “They couldn’t defend anything about what everyone is doing…So it was just meaningless.”
Parlak says to get a victory after 20 years of fighting is a big relief. He’ll be meeting with his attorneys and other partners to plan the next steps this week. There are a few paths forward.
“None of those are really clear paths. Those all depend on how much DHS is willing to go forward with it. And I don’t know what exactly it will take without sitting down with the lawyers and drawing a map.”
Parlak, owner of Cafe Gulistan in Harbert, says because his daughter was born in the U.S. and is a citizen, she could seek new visa status for him as an immediate relative that could lead to a new green card or, possibly, citizenship.
Parlak thanked all of his supporters, including members of Congress that now include Tim Walberg. Parlak says he met with Walberg and the congressman is supportive.
