ACTION Tulsa Confronts Immigration Misinformation with Firsthand Accounts from Refugees

[Excerpts]

ACTION Tulsa, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, hosted an event this week at Congregation B’nai Emunah titled “Who Is My Neighbor?” The event focused on dispelling myths about immigration and featured the story of Mohammad Paiman Faqirzada, an Afghan immigrant who resettled in Tulsa in 2021.

Faqirzada, who now studies cybersecurity at the University of Tulsa and works in technology, spoke about the personal cost of his journey to the United States. His six siblings and parents were unable to flee Afghanistan and remain under Taliban rule.

“When we left our country, my parents and my siblings, unfortunately, they couldn't get to the airport. So, they left behind. We left them behind,” Faqirzada said.

He expressed concern for his two sisters, who are unable to attend school under the Taliban government.

“Under the Taliban government, girls can’t educate. So, it’s very worse for them. We all worry about their future,” he said.

Roughly 10% of Tulsa's residents are immigrants.

There was a moment after all of the speeches and statistics for attendees to tell each other what they thought they could bring back to their neighborhood or family.

Lynn Minden, an ACTION Tulsa leader and member of Fellowship Lutheran Church, said this was the intent of the event. It aimed to give attendees reliable information they can share in their communities to counter false narratives.

“I hope they leave with more information so that they can, in their community, turn the tide a little on some of the things that we hear,” Minden said.

Attendees were also encouraged to write letters to elected officials, including U.S. Sen. James Lankford, Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

Earlier this year, Drummond publicly called for the removal of Afghan refugees from the state.

Tulsans Confront Immigration Misinformation Through Firsthand Accounts from Refugees, Public Radio Tulsa [pdf]