By Kelly Kandra Hughes 

The Norfolk Library will celebrate National Immigrants Day a little early this year when they welcome Birol Bahadir, Norfolk resident and German immigrant, to the library on Monday, Oct. 24 at 5:30 p.m. Bahadir, who recently published his autobiography, “Between 2 Worlds,” will speak about his dream of living in the United States with his family—and how everything went wrong, leading to 15 years living as an undocumented immigrant in this country.

“We got scammed,” says Bahadir. On one of his several visits to New York before he immigrated, he met a man who Bahadir described initially as “really nice,” saying that “we became friends and talked on the phone for years.” During one of those conversations, Bahadir spoke to his friend’s wife. She offered to help Bahadir with his visa, secure housing and get him a car. Six months later, the Bahadir family boarded a plane to New York City. No one was at the airport to meet them. The woman’s phone number was disconnected.

Bahadir managed to telephone the husband, now divorced and with no way, he said, to contact his ex-wife. Begrudgingly, he picked up Bahadir and his family at JFK airport in the middle of the night. The family slept on the floor of the man’s one-bedroom apartment in Albany for months.

While in Albany, Bahadir’s wife, Manuela, received a phone call. An estranged half-brother for whom she had been searching for 40 years had finally found her. He encouraged the family to move to Florida to be with him and offered to sponsor them for U.S. citizenship.

With their English improving, but nowhere near fluent, and no money to hire a lawyer, the family relied on Manuela Bahadir’s brother to help them navigate the immigration process. He, however, gave them incorrect information about extending their visitor visa. They were heartbroken to learn that, two years after making a home for themselves and their two children in the United States, their visas had expired. If they returned to Germany, they would never be allowed to re-enter the country. “The problem is, I came here with my children,” says Bahadir. “They got used to it here. We built relationships and a life here. You don’t want to give up everything and start over again.”

For the next 15 years, the Bahadir family lived in fear they would be deported. “You’re afraid to go shopping,” says Manuela Bahadir. “You’re afraid to go to other states. You’re always afraid that they’ll catch you and you’ll lose everything. We didn’t want to risk not being able to come back.”

Bahadir, who had started working construction jobs, said that applying for his Individual Taxpayer Identification Number as an undocumented immigrant in 2009 or 2010 was a harrowing experience. He knew he was obligated to pay federal taxes, and he still had hopes of citizenship. “It was scary to check that box,” he remembers. He didn’t know IRS code prohibits disclosure of taxpayer information, including immigration status.

It was through his job in construction that Bahadir and his family made their way to Norfolk. Thanks to his diligence and effort on a project in Florida, Bahadir received an invitation in 2010 to renovate a house here. He’s very glad he accepted. “The people in Norfolk are not only a community, they are family,” he declares. “People are all so nice. You don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Bahadir and his family felt especially welcomed by the Norfolk Church of Christ and its members. Tom and Celia McGowan helped him find additional work and, eventually, to buy their first home. In 2015, when the Bahadirs decided to renew their marriage vows, Tom McGowan walked Manuela down the aisle. Other church members planned the day for them. Eve Thew made the veil and Chris Henley baked a cake. “We were told, ‘we’ll take care of everything,’” says Manuela. “Just bring your dress.”

The kindness that the Bahadirs received in Norfolk is just one of the reasons Bahadir wanted to tell his story now that he and his wife have green cards. “There are so many people who struggle and live in fear as immigrants. I wanted to give up so many times. We were homeless. We were without food. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you do your part, work hard, pay your taxes, it will be okay in the end.”

The Norfolk Library invites the community to join in welcoming Birol Bahadir at the Oct. 28 event. A Q&A session will follow his program. “Between 2 Worlds” is available on Amazon.