Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
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Inslee Helps Find Reprieve for Single Father of Four
8 September 2002
[ Read a newspaper article about the Shebl family ]
U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee met with Maher Shebl and his four quadruplets at their home. An Egyptian immigrant working in the United States under the H1-B visa program, Shebl has been facing imminent deportation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Shebl is a single father, and all four of his quadruplets have health problems resulting from premature birth. If forced to leave the United States, Shebl would be forced to leave his children behind so that they could continue to receive necessary medical care. One of Maher's sons, Ahmed, (pictured in the play pin above) has more serious conditions and requires constant medical attention.
To keep the family together, Inslee has urged the INS to reconsider Shebl's case on humanitarian grounds. On September 4th, just one day before Shebl's visa was to expire, the INS granted him a six-month parole. With this reprieve, Shebl hopes to find a way to achieve a more permanent residence status.
Inslee listens to Shebl describe the quadruplet's health care needs and his prospects for permanent residence. Inslee, himself a father of three, is pictured above with two of Shebl's sons, Omar and Alhasan.