FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2023 | San Francisco, CA

Project ANAR initiates Lawsuit Against U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Defense to Ensure Safe Evacuation of U.S. Citizens in Gaza

As the crisis in Gaza worsens, Project ANAR has filed a lawsuit in the Central District of California regarding the handling of the evacuation of U.S. Citizens from the Gaza Strip. Project ANAR has joined efforts spearheaded by the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Michigan. CAIR-LA has been advocating alongside the Kaoud family.

The deteriorating conditions and escalating violence in Gaza have placed the lives of American citizens at grave risk. Among those affected is the Kaoud family, who have found themselves trapped in an increasingly dangerous situation. Despite attempting five times to cross the Rafah border, Esam Kaoud, Amer Kaoud, and Nezam Kaoud have all been denied entry into Egypt and remain trapped in the Gaza Strip, which has been under bombardment by the Israeli military for 30 days.

Project ANAR has joined many other immigration and refugee advocacy organizations in urging the U.S. to call for a ceasefire and work quickly to ensure Americans and their families can reunite and return home. As an Afghan community immigrant justice organization founded in response to our own community’s urgent efforts to seek family reunification and refuge, and continuing to work to bring loved ones to safety, we feel it is our duty to support these efforts. We recognize that the U.S. government can and must do more to protect its citizens in Gaza, as it must do more to ensure safe passage for all communities.

We bring this lawsuit on behalf of the Palestinian-American family currently stranded in Gaza. This legal action is directed against the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, in their official capacities, for failing to evacuate Palestinian-Americans from an armed conflict the same way they did for Israeli-American citizens in Israel. The Department of State and Department of Defense are responsible for addressing the safety and welfare of all American citizens abroad. Members of the Kaoud family in the U.S. have been working relentlessly along with a coalition of advocates to seek family reunification and safety for their loved ones in Gaza. This lawsuit is another part of these efforts to pressure the U.S. government to move quickly to reunite the family and to bring all Americans in Gaza to safety as Israel subjects them to indiscriminate bombing, including attacks on refugee camps, hospitals, and schools in recent days. We are heartened that some families have made it out safely, but the same must be done for all, including our clients.

Helal and Dooneya Kaoud said: “It has been 30 days since we have been advocating for our family. We feel like we are being treated as second class citizens and our country is letting us down more and more everyday. It becomes more and more dangerous everyday in Gaza, not to mention medical conditions that my dad and uncle have, with no access to medication or clean water, and literally being starved to death. 30 days that we have been begging our government to save their own citizens.”

Dina Chehata, Civil Rights Managing Attorney at CAIR-LA said: “Helal, Dooneya, and Shamiss have been tirelessly advocating to get their family back home from what has become the most well documented and most horrifying humanitarian crisis I have witnessed in my lifetime. We are seeing in real time the epic failing of the United States government to get all of its citizens home. Families, like the Kaoud family, are being separated with no rhyme or reason and the Rafah border crossing has quite literally become the thin line between life and death. The Kaoud brothers have put down roots in this country, they planted seeds here, they’ve raised their children here, they’ve paid their taxes here, and they bought into the dream of equality. Their lives are just as precious as any other American life, and our government must do everything in its power to bring them home now.”

Sara Kohgadai, Immigration Attorney at Project ANAR said: “The United States must not abandon Palestinian Americans in Gaza. As we call on the government to reunite the Kaoud family, we also urge the administration to call for a ceasefire to ensure that families in Gaza can actually reach safety. We filed this lawsuit because we see through the government’s excuses for inaction, as we know firsthand that the U.S. has the power and resources to assist these families immediately.”

We commend the ACRL and ADC for their efforts to assist families stranded in Gaza. If you have loved ones stuck in Gaza or if you know of others who do, we urge you to call the urgent hotline that they have set up at 888-806-3822.

#####

Project ANAR is an Afghan community immigration justice organization formed and led by Afghan American women, in partnership with other immigration lawyers and organizers, that focuses on legal services, community education, and advocacy and engagement. Project ANAR’s objectives include obtaining permanent status for Afghans in the U.S., advocating for the expansion of pathways for those seeking refuge, and seeking an end to the systems that displace our communities. Project ANAR works primarily in the Bay Area, California and in the DMV region, and also engages in national level advocacy and legal services coalition work. It is an organization fiscally sponsored by Pangea Legal Services, a 501(c)(3) based in San Francisco, CA.

Review the Complaint