Hello, my name is Fatima, and I am from Afghanistan. Today, I am humbly asking for your support to help my sister, Masooma Samiee — a devoted teacher, women’s rights advocate, and the heart of our family — who is currently detained by ICE and taken to Louisiana.
Masooma spent more than 15 years teaching girls in Kabul. When the Taliban seized power in 2021, she lost her job, her freedom, and her safety overnight. Because of our family’s affiliation with the U.S. and our military background, she became a target. With no future left in Afghanistan, she made the agonizing decision to flee, driven only by hope and her dream of reaching a place where she could finally live without fear.
Her journey to the United States was horrific. Masooma traveled by foot and bus from Brazil through the Dorian Gap Jungle, where she was kidnapped, held hostage, and narrowly escaped rape and death. She nearly drowned twice — despite not knowing how to swim — and survived dangers no human being should ever face. Reaching the U.S. alive was nothing short of a miracle, the first fragile step toward the freedom she had dreamed of for years.
But instead of safety, she was met with detention.
Masooma was first held for three months, then released on parole, and recently detained again by ICE on October 21, 2025 — this time during a routine check-in with her immigration caseworker in Silver Spring, MD without any valid reason. After everything she survived to get here, she is once again behind bars in the very country she believed would protect her.
Despite all the trauma she carries, Masooma never stopped trying to rebuild her life. She has a pending asylum case and recently received her work permit and was on the waitlist for a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program so she could continue serving others, just as she always did for her students, her community, and our family.
As the eldest daughter, she helped raise me and my brother. She fought for the education of every girl she taught, even when it put her in danger. Before leaving Afghanistan, she told me, “I have no life left there — whether I stay or cross many countries, the danger is the same.” Her courage and resilience are the reasons she survived — and the reason I am here fighting for her today.
How Your Support Will Help
Your contribution — no matter how small — will directly support Masooma in the following ways:
Covering the costs of professional legal and immigration assistance, including attorney fees, USCIS/DHS filings, and potential appeals.
Ensuring she has access to essential daily needs such as commissary funds, phone calls, hygiene items, and necessary medications while she is detained.
Helping her with basic living and transitional expenses as she navigates this difficult and uncertain time.
This fundraiser is more than financial support — it is a way to stand beside Masooma, honor her values, and recognize the years she spent fighting for the rights of girls who could not speak for themselves. It is a reminder that standing up for what is right matters — and that she deserves to move forward with dignity, compassion, and hope.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your compassion, your generosity, and your belief that Masooma deserves the freedom and safety she has fought so hard to reach.
Click to edit while logged in. - Fatima Saadat
