Christian refugees from Pakistan reunite in Spokane after nearly seven years apart

Arooj Nirmal had already been waiting for her husband for nearly seven years.

Passengers off Delta flight 2929 from Salt Lake City grabbed their bags and moved along, while Nirmal stood with a bouquet of lilies, nervously smiling as the minutes ticked away.

When Sunny, a refugee from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, finally descended the ramp into her embrace, the tears started to flow.

“It’s definitely been an emotional time for me,” Nirmal said. “It’s been quite a long time. I definitely feel emotional and happy, in so many different ways.”

Nirmal and her husband, whom she asked to be referred to by a nickname, “Sunny,” because of continued fear of reprisals from extremists, have lived apart after fleeing Pakistan because of religious persecution. The couple are Christians, and their marriage was arranged by Nirmal’s parents.

Nirmal arrived in Spokane in 2017 from Sri Lanka, where she fled from Pakistan. Her husband, who’d been captured by extremists after their marriage, eventually found his way to Sri Lanka but had to remain there until he could be approved to come to America.

Nirmal waited in Spokane, aided by the local nonprofit World Relief in an effort to get Sunny stateside. The couple communicated through WhatsApp, an international online messaging service. Her original case worker was Mark Finney, who moved on to head the organization before leaving to start Thrive International.

Finney and his family were on hand Wednesday evening, watching Sunny’s plane descend from the sky.

“We were pulling in, and the plane was coming down right over our car,” Finney said.

He noted that Sunny’s arrival comes almost four years to the day after Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed 261 people perpetrated by Muslim extremists. Sunny had to seek shelter in a police station during the bombings, Finney said.

As Nirmal waited in the United States, violence has increased in Sri Lanka, which is in the midst of economic and political turmoil. The country defaulted on its debt in May 2022, and widespread protests last summer preceded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaska. Demonstrations in the aftermath have killed many antigovernment protesters.

Late last month, the United Nations Human Rights Committee issued a report critical of the country’s pretrial detention of antigovernment protesters, saying antiterrorism laws in the country targeted minorities, members of trade unions, Muslims and members of the LGBTQ community.

Sunny said in a quiet voice after landing that the past year had been difficult, citing the poor economic conditions.

“After COVID, there started some problems,” Sunny said. “There was 200% inflation.”

Nirmal and her husband will now be assisted by World Relief as Sunny acclimates to American life, said Jordan Bemis, resettlement director for the nonprofit. They’re accepting about 40-50 people a month into Spokane right now, coming from all over and for different reasons.

“Really, our work starts now,” Bemis said. “Specifically, we’re going to work with him for three months.”

Sunny will receive some cultural training and assistance finding a job, Bemis said, though he noted that Sunny’s English was already better than many who are trying to acclimate in the United States.

The nonprofit has also worked with federal lawmakers, including Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Sen. Patty Murray, to make sure Sunny’s case was being monitored, Bemis said. That occurred even as the United States’ position on admitting refugees fluctuated between administrations.

The Biden administration has increased the caps on refugee resettlement in the United States that were lowered under President Donald Trump, but the number of admitted people fell well short of goals in 2022.

The cap was placed at 125,000 refugees. But in October, State Department officials said only 24,500 had been resettled during the fiscal year as part of a program for people fleeing violence based on their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in social groups.

The administration has once again set its goal of resettlement at 125,000 during this fiscal year, which ends in September. But through February, the United States had only admitted 12,307 refugees through the program, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Nirmal and Sunny walked together out of the airport terminal Wednesday evening as a married couple, their past decade together interrupted by international politics. They were headed to a dinner put on by family, smiling widely as they left.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who’s been helping us this whole time. It’s been a difficult journey,” Nirmal said. “We’re really grateful to everyone who is celebrating with us.”