My Name is Anees Sous, I am Being Deported on Wednesday

Hello, I am Anees Sous, I am being deported on Wednesday, January 20th

I came to America from Jordan in 1982.  I was so young, I didn’t even need to shave.  I came to study at Wayne State to become an electrical engineer.  I had some problems with my classes, and that started 30 years of visa problems for me.

I came here to work hard and to contribute because here, it does not matter who you are, it matters what you can do.  I married my wife Basma in 1988, and now we have 6 beautiful children. My children are everything to me, and I’m so proud of them. My oldest daughter is getting a masters degree in mathematics, and my second daughter just received her degree in biology.

I started my own small business, a trucking company, to make sure my children would not have to worry about paying for their educations. When times were better, I employed four other workers.  It is hard now, because sometimes I must leave my family for 3 or 4 days on runs.  Everything I’ve built and earned, I’ve invested it here, in Detroit, in my community.

This country has allowed me to achieve much, and I have tried to give back.  But for the past 30 years, I have struggled with the immigration system and my visa, I have spent $30,000 dollars in lawyers fees, and spent thousands of hours away from work. And after thirty years, the authorities have finally decided to deport me in 7 seven days.

They want to separate me from my children and my wife.  My children need me.  My youngest son is only seven.  He needs his father.  My wife teaches part time– that is not enough work to support 1 , let alone a whole family.  My daughters have stopped going to college, because soon they will need to work for the family. This breaks my heart.

We sacrificed so much, so our children could be educated, and not have to work as hard as I have.  And it is my children who inspire me now.  They started a petition on the internet, asking the government to allow me to say.  Now, it has more than 2000 signatures.  Before, I felt alone and powerless.  But seeing that 2000 people, most of them strangers, believe in me and my family, gives me hope.  And being here with all of you gives me hope.

Please, sign my petition: http://j.mp/saveanees

If I can get a deferral for another few months, my wife or daughter may be able to apply for a green card on my behalf, and I will be able to stay.  Together, we can work to change these broken laws.

No other family should have to face what we are going through.

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