Iranian Americans feel stuck, confused, afraid of travel ban
The 35-year-old now sorely regrets it, seeing the havoc wreaked upon his fellow countrymen — and his family — since the new president issued a temporary travel ban on refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, including his former home.
Many Iranian Americans travel back to visit family or bring aging parents to join them in the U.S.
Since Trump imposed the travel ban, tension between the two governments has continued to rise.
The same day, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 13 people and a dozen companies in response to Iran's recent ballistic missile test, increasing pressure on Tehran without directly undercutting a nuclear deal with the country.
Later Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the travel ban following a lawsuit by Washington state and Minnesota that said Trump's order is causing significant harm to residents and effectively mandates discrimination.
A federal appeals court on Sunday denied a Justice Department request for an immediate reinstatement of the ban, meaning the legal fight will continue for days at least.
[...] many Iranians came to the United States after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in search of religious and personal freedom and continue to cherish those ideals.
[...] her Armenian grandparents fled to Iran.