THREE OAKS, Mich. (AP) — More than 250 people have attended a fundraiser for a southwestern Michigan cafe owner who has struggled for years to stay in the U.S.
The South Bend Tribune says Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco, gave a concert Friday for Ibrahim Parlak.
Parlak runs a cafe in Harbert, near St. Joseph. He came to the U.S. 25 years ago after being convicted in Turkey of supporting the Kurdish separatist movement. He says torture was used to gather evidence against him.
Parlak was granted a deferral from deportation in 2010. He worries about being harmed if forced to return to Turkey. He was granted another deferral in December.
Attorney John Smietanka says Parlak loves America and is “loved by his community.”