(WSBT) Ibrahim Parlak says he's worried about his brother in Turkey as tensions there rise. Huseyin Parlak was deported three weeks ago.

He sought political asylum in this country, claiming past persecution in Turkey. But his application was denied and he lost his right to stay here during the appeal process.

Huseyin is now back in Turkey, where ethnic tensions may soon boil over.

The Turkish government has been moving troops and equipment to its border with Iraq. It says the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, is using northern Iraq as a base to launch attacks.

Ibrahim is accused of being a member of that group — a charge he denies. He said the Turkish government continues to persecute Kurds inside Turkey, including the region where his brother lives.

Huseyin is now in the southeastern region of Turkey, where the Turkish government has tried to root out Kurdish rebels. Ibrahim said they've persecuted Kurdish citizens as well.

“You cannot act a Kurd, you cannot do things like a Kurd and live a life like a Kurd. You have to live a life like a Turk, act like a Turk,” Parlak said.

The government accused Parlak of being a member of the PKK, which they say is a terrorist group. Recently, the group has been blamed for suicide bombings and attacks on Turkish soldiers.

Parlak says he's never been a member of the group and doesn't condone its methods.

The Turkish military now wants to invade northern Iraq to root out the PKK there. Kurdish leaders in Iraq say they want to fight terrorism, but they will resist an invasion.

Parlak said the U.S. should side with the Iraqi Kurds against an invasion.

“We as the United States, we gotta give them a signal that the Kurds are not on their own,” Parlak added. “Kurds are standing for their rights, they are doing something right in the region and we can support that — we should support that.”

For the supporters of Ibrahim Parlak, the deportation of his brother brought home the very possibility that Ibrahim could be deported as well.

“It brought back the possibility that they're still going to go after Ibrahim as much as they can, whatever tactics they can use and the community's not going to stand for it,” said Martin Dzuris, a supporter of Parlak.

“I wanted, my brother wanted to live in a country where we can be free, where we can speak freely,” Parlak said. “Why would you ruin that, why would you try to destroy that?”

Huseyin's case is still pending, but likely won't be resolved anytime soon. Ibrahim is waiting on a hearing in front of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, which could come by the end of the summer.

The court will decide whether Parlak will also be deported.

Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., have presented a bill to help keep him in the country, but that bill has not been voted on yet.

The congressmen say they want to let the legal process play out before bringing it up to a vote.