Ahmed Al Bayati

My Story and My Family My name is Ahmed Al Bayati. I am an Iraqi physicist, researcher, husband, and father of two children. I have spent more than 25 years building a career in science, research, and education, beginning in 2001. I hold advanced degrees in Biophysics and Atmospheric Physics, with specialized expertise in Optical Sensors, Biosensors, Environmental Physics, and Materials Science. I have worked as a university professor and researcher, conducted scientific research and development, and hold several patents. My background includes extensive academic, research, and technical experience, and I have dedicated much of my professional life to science and education. My education and professional experience have given me the ability and desire to work and support my family. I want to return to my professional life and use the knowledge and experience I have spent decades developing. However, my current legal and medical circumstances have prevented me from doing so. How Our Struggle Began In early 2014, I came to the United States with my wife and our two children through an Iraqi government-sponsored scholarship to pursue my Ph.D. in physics. We arrived with hope. My goal was to complete my doctorate, continue my academic career, and create a better future for my family. Only a few months after our arrival, Iraq entered a devastating period of conflict and instability. The security crisis also created severe financial problems for the Iraqi government and affected scholarship funding. The financial support for my scholarship became increasingly unstable. Payments became irregular, were reduced, and eventually stopped completely. This happened while my family and I were still in our first year in the United States. We were living in a completely new country and were unfamiliar with its system, culture, and laws. At that time, I was not able to work legally to compensate for the loss of my scholarship support. Returning to Iraq was not a safe or realistic option for my family. I therefore made the difficult decision to continue my education and support my family at any cost. I borrowed large amounts of money, used my available resources, and sold some of my property to pay for tuition, housing, food, and other family expenses. These debts were not the result of luxury spending. They accumulated while I was trying to complete my education and support my family after the financial support on which I had depended disappeared. Despite these circumstances, I continued my studies and research. In 2022, I completed my Ph.D. I believed that earning my doctorate would allow me to return to my profession, obtain stable employment, support my family, and begin repaying the debts that had accumulated over the years. Unfortunately, my difficulties continued. After My Ph.D. After earning my Ph.D., I had the education and experience necessary to pursue professional work in physics, scientific research, technology, and related fields. However, my immigration situation remained unresolved. I repeatedly sought legal assistance to find a lawful way to stabilize my situation and work consistently. I hired attorneys and spent substantial amounts on legal fees, hoping that my situation would eventually be resolved. Because of my immigration circumstances, I was unable to pursue many professional opportunities that matched my qualifications and experience. Instead, I had to take whatever work I could find to support my family, pay our living expenses, and continue paying legal costs. I worked in jobs far below my academic qualifications and very different from the scientific career I had spent more than 25 years building. My problem was not a lack of education or professional ability. I had advanced academic degrees, extensive research experience, multiple areas of specialization, and patents. What I lacked was the stable legal situation necessary to use those qualifications normally in my profession. My Shoulder Injury One of the jobs I eventually had to take involved installing internet wiring and services in homes and offices. The work required physical labor and climbing onto roofs. During one of these jobs, I fell from the roof of a house and seriously injured my left shoulder. I began medical treatment and physical therapy and continued trying to work and support my family. My shoulder problems persisted, including pain and limited movement. I was still receiving physical therapy shortly before my detention. Today, I continue to have problems with my left shoulder and need to see a specialist for proper evaluation and treatment. My Detention and Its Impact on My Family On December 16, 2025, I was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). I spent approximately six months in detention, during which I was separated from my wife and two children. My detention created an immediate financial and emotional crisis for my family because I was their primary source of support. During my detention, my shoulder condition continued to cause problems. I repeatedly requested an MRI of my left shoulder so that its condition could be properly evaluated and an appropriate treatment plan could be determined. I did not receive the MRI I was requesting during that period and continued to experience pain and limited movement. The separation from my family was extremely difficult. I was unable to provide financial support, help with daily needs, or protect my wife and children during a very uncertain period. My family had to rely on help from others and borrowed money to cover food and basic necessities. After approximately six months, I was released, but my situation remained extremely difficult. I returned home with continuing health problems, substantial debt, an unresolved immigration case, and ongoing legal obligations. Our Situation Today Today, my family and I are facing one of the most difficult periods of our lives. I currently cannot legally work because I do not have valid work authorization. Even after I am legally permitted to work, my current shoulder condition may prevent me from returning to physically demanding manual work. I need medical evaluation and treatment so that I can determine what work I can safely perform. My wife also has significant medical needs. She has had her gallbladder removed, has elevated blood sugar, serious dental and gum problems, and has not seen a doctor for more than six years. The circumstances our family has experienced have also placed her under severe emotional stress. We currently have no stable income. Our basic monthly living expenses are approximately: Rent: $1,500 Electricity: $150–$200 Internet: $50 Transportation: approximately $200 Food: approximately $1,500 Water and other essential expenses: additional costs These are only our basic living expenses. They do not include medical care, legal expenses, or debt payments. A Financial Burden of More Than Twelve Years Over more than twelve years, our family has accumulated a financial burden that I can no longer manage alone. Approximately $600,000 is outstanding debt, accumulated through educational expenses, family living expenses, money borrowed from people who helped us, and legal and immigration-related costs. In addition to this debt, I have suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial losses, including losses related to property and financial entitlements associated with leaving my academic position in Iraq and maintaining my family through years of instability. When these debts, losses, and accumulated financial obligations are considered together, the total financial burden has exceeded $1 million. This is why I have set a $1 million fundraising goal. I understand that this is a very large goal. I am not asking others to erase my responsibilities. I am asking for help because this financial burden has accumulated over more than twelve years and has reached a level that I cannot overcome alone. Our Legal and Medical Needs My immigration case is still ongoing, and legal expenses continue. My attorney is currently requesting $2,000 in additional fees. Each court hearing attended by my attorney costs an additional $2,000, and there are additional legal fees associated with completing the necessary legal procedures for my wife and children. I also need legal assistance with ongoing matters related to my immigration case. At the same time, I need medical evaluation and treatment for my left shoulder, and my wife needs medical care that she has been unable to obtain for years. These expenses are beyond what I can currently afford. Why I Am Asking for Help I never imagined that I would have to ask strangers for financial assistance. I have spent more than 25 years studying, teaching, researching, and working in science. I want to return to my profession and use the knowledge and experience I have spent my life developing. I want to work. I want to support my wife and children myself. I want to regain our independence. I do not want to depend on donations permanently. Once I am legally permitted to work and medically able to do so, part of the assistance may also help me obtain a reliable vehicle so that I can pursue driving work and begin generating income for my family. My goal is not simply to survive. My goal is to rebuild. How Your Support Will Help Your contribution, regardless of its size, will help our family: Pay rent, food, utilities, transportation, and other essential living expenses. Obtain medical evaluation and treatment for my left shoulder. Help my wife receive the medical care she needs. Pay immigration attorney fees and other necessary legal expenses. Continue the legal procedures necessary for my family. Reduce the debts accumulated over more than twelve years. Address some of the financial losses and obligations that have placed our family in severe hardship. Obtain a reliable vehicle so that, once legally permitted and medically able, I can pursue paid driving work. Give our children greater stability while we work toward rebuilding our lives. A Message From My Heart I am not asking you to solve our lives. I am asking you to help us get through this difficult chapter so that we can rebuild our lives ourselves. I want to work. I want to provide for my family. I want to return to science. I want to repay the people who helped us when we had nowhere else to turn. But right now, I cannot do these things alone. Every contribution, no matter how small, can make a real difference. It can help us buy food, pay rent, obtain medical treatment, continue our legal case, reduce our debt, or simply give my family some breathing room while we work toward a stable future. If you cannot donate, sharing our story with others would also mean a great deal to us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to read our story, for your compassion, and for any support you can provide to my family. Thank you for helping us hold on to hope and giving my family a chance to rebuild our lives. With sincere gratitude, Ahmed Al Bayati and Family