New York Times on Ralph Isenberg's Efforts to Bring Saad Nabeel Back to North Texas

New York Times on Ralph Isenberg's Efforts to Bring Saad Nabeel Back to North Texas

By Robert Wilonsky Sun., Mar. 6 2011 at 12:58 PM

Mark Graham

Ralph Isenberg

We've mentioned in recent months Ralph Isenberg's efforts to bring Saad Nabeel back to North Texas, where a University of Texas at Arlington electrical engineering scholarship awaits the 20-year-old Frisco Liberty High grad. Nabeel, though, was deported to Bangladesh last year: His family had been denied political asylum a decade ago, and, as The New York Times recounts today, "A separate application for resident status was approved, but then it stalled in visa backlogs." Saad was sent "home" last January, despite the fact he's been here since he was 3. He has since moved from Bangladesh to Malaysia, following threats made on his life; per today's paper, "Now he is lying low there, longing for the United States."

Isenberg, a former City Plan Commissioner whose own intriguing immigration tale we told at length back in '05, is the subject of Julia Preston's lengthy piece in The Times today -- because, as she writes, "The alliance of Mr. Isenberg, by his own description a hard-driving Jew, and Mr. Nabeel, a Muslim engineering student from Bangladesh who was deported last year, is one of the more unusual tales in the history of immigrants' struggles to prevail in the American immigration system." An excerpt:

Mr. Isenberg sits in his Dallas office, plotting what he calls "creative" legal strategies to reopen Mr. Nabeel's case, even though he is not a lawyer. In a stream of phone calls, he browbeats immigration officials, jawbones local reporters about the case and communes via video with Mr. Nabeel.

"This is not my job -- it's my mission," Mr. Isenberg said after one recent coaching session with Mr. Nabeel, whom he has never met in person. "Saad may not be a citizen, but he's as American as anybody else. He's a product of this country," Mr. Isenberg said, "and we have an obligation to protect our own."

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dmonroetx

Isenberg, you will always be one of my favorite topics of conversation. You have done a lot of good as well as a lot of overreaching. This cause plays on emotions, but good laws aren't passed or enforced on emotion. Given that, keep up the work finding the application of current law that will get him back into the country. Our country's need for educated people certainly isn't being met by the misapplication of our immigration laws.

Ralph should stick to importing Chinese happy massage girls!

MattL1

Seems like a good kid. Hope he's successful.

scottindallas

I liked him better in "the Social Network." Looks like he pulled a real Raging Bull here. Goodness, he put on some weight. I guess he's guaranteed the Oscar now.

Myself

"Saad may not be a citizen, but he's as American as anybody else. He's a product of this country," Mr. Isenberg said, "and we have an obligation to protect our own."

Yeah, who cares about that awful "rule of law" thing! Let's just do what feels good and since most of the worlds 6 billion people would rather live here than in whatever s-hole they happen to inhabit, let's just let 'em all show up and give 'em a free education, a nice pad, couple a hookers, and of course, free health care for life.

Hey, Isenberg, if I steal some of your money I guess I can keep it if I manage to avoid you and the law for long enough. At what point will your money become as much mine as my own money even though legally your money is not mine? Once I pay some bills with your money and put a down payment on a house will your money become a product of my labor, even though you earned it? After all, I want money that isn't mine and people are entitled to whatever they want.

Oak Cliff Townie

@scottindallasDang it we aren't supposed to know that .

Ayn Rand

Nabeel and his parents stole residency, along with all the social services intended for citizens (like public education). When ordered to deport, they ran from California to Texas to hide from immigration officers. When ordered to deport again, they attempted to run again to Canada. The Nabeels are criminals.

Many people are waiting years to immigrate to the USA legally. They deserve consideration long before the Nabeels.

Wylie H.

How does a 3 year-old steal ANYTHING? Also, if our ancestors had to deal with the broken clusterf**k that currently exists in the U.S. Immigration system, we would all be criminals.

As it stands, our ancestors invaded this country, murdered or interred the original residents, invited a bunch of white people to join the party (blacks were allowed too, as long as they were in chains), then put the brakes on immigration once the courts said we could no longer give preference to Caucasians when it came to picking who could come into the country.

Yes, let's send the "criminals" packing... As long as they have dark skin... [rolls eyes]

dgrgbrtghryh

And of course his response tosomeone simply saying the law should be followed is raaaaccccism. What a complete fucking idiot.

Wylie H.

Are you reading the same blog I'm reading?

Sdaefsdfs

Wylie is looking to depress the wages of the tech workers for his Hong Kong ventures by importing cheap labor by any means possible.

That Wylie dislikes the law does not give him license to break it. It seems that only when something costs him money from his own pocket like the Wright Amendment does Wyle find his moral outrage.

Wylie H.

I'm not sure I understand how commenting on the irrationality of current U.S, immigration policy equates to employment policies associated with mythical businesses supposedly based in Hong Kong. As an aside, the world is more interconnected than ever-- businesses will employ workers wherever they are most affordable, just as I'm sure you wouldn't pay $6 for a hamburger if you could get a better hamburger for $4.

Creating artificial barriers to the movement of people doesn't really result in higher wage rates (except for a lucky few). Instead, the work (which is very difficult to keep from moving) simply goes outside the U.S. to places where it can be performed more affordably.

Gabe

Ayn Rand was also an immigration "criminal". She received only a visitors-passport in 1925, used it, but then came back and overstayed it in 1926. She never returned to the USSR and became a US citizen in 1931.

reality check

And a useful idiot for our "masters"...

You might want to take a break from your convenient conspiracy theories. Our "masters", the large corporations and billionaires that have the most political influence, have been proponents of relaxed immigration enforcement as a spigot for cheap labor and increased profitability.

scottindallas

Ayn Rand is the useful idiot. She was so scarred and burned by her experiences in Russia, she was bitter as a deposed Queen.

Bigjondaniel

Ann Rand was white

scottindallas

And a useful idiot for our "masters," the Kochs, Simmons, and Hunts. Quick to extend their hand for millions, the Heisman for those who've paid for years for their benefits.