Mohammad is a 28-year-old human rights defender who fled Afghanistan to avoid torture and death at the hands of the Taliban. His work as a skills-based trainer and project coordinator for impoverished Afghan women made him a target. Mohammad was kidnapped at gunpoint, confined, tortured and subjected to forced labour. While working in an open field, Mohammad managed to escape and went into hiding.
How you can help
- Sign the petition: Canada Must Permit Endangered Afghan Women’s Rights Activist to Join Toronto Family
- Write to Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Lena Metlege Diab, at
ircc.minister-ministre.ircc@cic.gc.ca and copy your Member of Parliament. Urge the Minister to issue a Temporary Resident Permit and a Single-Journey Travel Document to facilitate Mohammad’s return to Canada and reunite him with his family.
You can use the following draft to send a letter: Click here to see “Help us bring Mohammad home- Advocacy Letter Template”
After fleeing Afghanistan in July 2024, Mohammad travelled to Iran, Brazil, and up through the Darien Gap. Mohammad entered the US via Arizona and was detained before being transferred to an immigration detention facility in Texas, where he has remained since September 2024. The rest of his family made it to the Canada-U.S. border and has settled in Toronto. The Younesi family resided at Romero House from early 2025 to June 2026.
Mohammad has now spent 21 months in indefinite detention
For nearly two years, Mohammad Younesi has been held in an ICE detention facility in Texas under conditions that have been widely criticized by human rights organizations. Independent reporting has documented severe overcrowding, prolonged confinement, inadequate food, poor sanitation, and conditions so harsh that some detainees have chosen deportation simply to escape. A recent visit by his lawyer confirmed that Mohammad continues to endure these same conditions.
Canada refuses to act
Despite having no criminal history, Mohammad remains trapped in indefinite detention. ICE has indicated it would release him to reunite with his family in Canada if the Canadian government provided the necessary travel documents and permission to enter. So far the Canadian government has refused to act. Without Canada’s action, there is currently no realistic path to his release.
Meanwhile, Mohammad faces the ongoing threat of deportation to countries where he has no ties, while also fearing he could remain detained indefinitely. The prolonged confinement has significantly worsened the anxiety and trauma he already lives with after surviving persecution by the Taliban. Legal efforts in the United States to secure his release have so far stalled, making Canadian government action more important than ever.