In light of President Trump’s ban on immigrants from Islamic countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lybia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, many have been impacted. From being turned away directly in the airports to students who cannot return back to their colleges in states like at our own institution, this ban has no fear or sentiment in regards to the stories of those who need to come to the States. Take Fatemeh Reshad, who is four months old and from one of the restricted countries by Trump’s ban, Iran.
Back in late January, Fatemeh was diagnosed by doctors in a local hospital lacking resources with two holes in her heart and other life-threatening abnormalities. The hospital in Iran would not be able to perform surgery on her. Attempting to save her child’s life, her mother had planned to get a visa and fly into the US to have the surgery performed in Oregon where other family members, who are citizens, live. When in route in Dubai, the Reshads were re-routed back to Iran and told to reapply for their visa in 90 days. But Fatemeh had already been diagnosed late, and time was not on their side.
Courtesy: Koin 6 News
Thankfully, after surfacing on the news and catching the attention of federal officials, there has been a silver lining for Fatemeh: she will be allowed to come to the States after the Department of Homeland Security has reviewed her case, and she will receive this life-saving surgery pro-bono. People have come together to help the family by paying for their flight and their housing costs here as well. As of last week, Fatemeh arrived in the States and was seen by doctors who confirmed her condition and detected another injury to her lungs. The doctors were glad that she arrived as soon as she could, mentioning that there is still time to change the process.
Courtesy: Twitter
However, not everyone is as lucky as Fatemeh to come to the States for such dire reasons. Take, for example, the FSU fourth year PhD candidate who went back home due to a sudden death in the family. This tragic event where he flew home to Iran resulted in him being stranded in his home country due to Trump’s recent order, which pushes back not only his education but could potentially jeopardize his research position on campus as well. This student and so many others are negatively impacted by this “temporary” ban. According to The Washington Post, a said 90,000 people who have gotten visas in the last year will be affected. And while one can only hope that others suffering from this ban will be treated the same as Fatemeh, we know that not everyone will be as lucky. Let’s hope that soon enough our country can come together for a common cause to help one another.