PHOTO: Barred from entering US, Nazanin Zinouri waits at Dubai International Airport


Nazanin Zinouri writes:


I normally don’t write long posts or any kind of political or religious comments. I apologize in advance and I don’t expect my friends to read this long long post!!

But today I just couldn’t hold it any longer.

Friday, January 20, started like any other normal day. I was excited about my trip to Tehran. After all, I only get to visit them once a year. I was excited and anxious at the same time. I was worried about my little puppy but I couldn’t wait to see my mom.

It was an uneventful trip. I made it home on Monday, January 23, after around 28 hours, exhausted but so so happy. We were all happy. I was going to eat lots of delicious Persian food and make tons of great memories and go back to my life in the US.

But the happiness didn’t last that long. On Wednesday, we started hearing rumors about new executive orders that would change immigration rules for some countries including Iran. Soon we started reading drafts like everyone else. I might be banned from going back?!?! No, that can’t be true. I’m not gonna let that ruin my trip.

But then it got serious so fast. Before I knew it, it was actually happening. Even though I didn’t want to leave my family, I quickly booked a ticket to get on the next flight back. Only a few hours after the order was signed, I got to the airport, got on a plane, and made it to Dubai. After waiting in the line to get my documents checked and after 40 minutes of questions and answers, I boarded the plane to Washington, only to have two TSA [Transportation Security Administration] officers get in and ask me to disembark the plane!!! Yes, after almost 7 years of living the the United States, I got deported!!!

No one warned me when I was leaving. no one cared what will happen to my dog or my job or my life there. No one told me what I should do with my car that is still parked at the airport parking. Or what to do with my house and all my belongings.

They didn’t say it with words but with their actions — my life doesn’t matter. Everything I worked for all these years doesn’t matter.

I just had to say it…