Reuters:
During the six-hour drive from New York City to a tiny town in northern Vermont, Iranian student Shirin Estahbanati cried at the thought of seeing her father for the first time in nearly three years. Since then, he had suffered a heart attack, and she hadn’t dared leave America to comfort him.
But as she traveled north, she also couldn’t stop worrying. What if she missed the turnoff and drove across the U.S.-Canadian border by mistake?
Estahbanati, like many Iranian students in the United States, has a single-entry visa and can’t leave the country without risking that she won’t be allowed back in. And her parents, as Iranian citizens, are blocked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban from visiting her in the United States.
She didn’t want to miss her destination: the Haskell Free Library and Opera House.
Estahbanati and her family had agreed to meet around 9 a.m. at the library, which through a historic anomaly straddles the U.S.-Canada border – and today has been thrust into an unlikely role as the site of emotional reunions between people separated by the administration’s immigration policies.
The 31-year-old parked her car and, excitement battling with anxiety, walked to the entrance of the Victorian building. But two hours later, her parents and sister still had not appeared from the Canadian side, and her calls to her sister’s cell phone went unanswered.
Finally, she saw them. Because of construction near the library, their GPS device had sent them to the line for the U.S. port of entry. Her parents had no U.S. visas, and they had been detained by American border agents. After approximately two hours, they were released and allowed to join Estahbanati at the library.
When they hugged each other, it felt as if her father had shrunk. He took a deep breath as he held his daughter tight. “I missed your smell,” he told her.
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Unfortunately, since the Islamist takeover of Iran, stories like this have been rampant and come in all varieties depending on the times.
Sad for Iran, her people and their future.
That's true but, we should try to help the people any way we can.
TЯump and his entourage, on the one hand say nice things about the Iranian people and wants to help them change the Regime, but on the other hand he puts a visa ban on the same people so that the families cannot see each other.
The policy towards Iran has to be more nuanced and smart. He should be able to distinguish between the people and the Regime. But he's not doing that in action.
I have only one problem with the travel ban list: Its length.
To the avearge Jo Six pack, Eye-ran, Eye-raq, Syria , Saudi and the rest of the region are the same thing. This includes uneducated Trump.
All this aside, the pysche and mental capacity of the armchair warrior(s) and their multi-user IDs here is a testament to how f'ed up Iranians are, so this, in essence, is a stick with two shity ends!
LOL! Now I know why Iranians, in general, are in deep shit. If three of the smartest people on this site can’t fathom the depth of the trouble Iranians are in, then what can we expect from “poor Ghazanfar?”
Ex_Cop writes something intelligent and then decides it wasn’t good enough and brings in the “average jo!” I tell you, average jo is the least of “our” problems.
Faramarz decides to politicize an issue that is already politicized. Two decades before Trump became president, Bill Clinton imposed the infamous finger-printing regulation on Iranians. Iranians were the only people to be finger-printed at the ports of entry in the United States. But then, in order not to make us feel bad, three other shitholes were added to the list.
Last but not least, while enjoying antsy’s sense of humor, listing is not an easy task. and does not cover the whole problem. The State Department, on the other hand, may even need some of the individuals you want listed.
There's a huge difference between finger printing Iranians at the point of entry, and a visa ban that separates families, like what TЯump is doing at the Mexican border.
Absolutely! Finger printing every Iranian that crosses the border means they are criminal till proven otherwise.
BTW, Japan used to finger print every foreigner that entered the country. You should’ve seen the reactions of the foreigners. But when I mentioned Clinton’s the reaction of some of the same people was something like, “Let’s face it.”
GR seriously....you need to let go of your grude aganist me; it's water under the bridge dude...chill and go get a drink. Have you moved into your new place in Canada yet? I'll bring you a house-warming gift and we can kiss and make up...what do say? wink wink
Hey Ex_Cop,
In general, I hold no grudges against people. And in those rare instance where I do hold grudges, I keep my distance from those who have hurt me or have been rude to me. It’s easier for me to forget, even if I don’t forgive.
BTW, one of the thumps up under your first comment is mine.
And if I do move, I’ll be somewhere near San Francisco, so I can go bar hopping with Faramarz and settle our differences over some good wine. You are always welcome to join.
Ehhh...you seem to follow what i say here and leave negative comments back on most. It's just weird!
A smart guy like you should know that one of the key factors in the success of the human race, in general, is respect for others' opinions and thoughts. Something we Iranians just cannot grasp as evident by our history and culture...........must be our "Human Nature"......wink wink........again!