After a week of uncertainty and 30 hours in the air, Iranian-born Sarvin Haghighi returned to her home in Chicago this weekend, joining scores of immigrants and refugees touching down at U.S. airports as court battles over President Donald Trump’s executive order play out.
Haghighi, a 37-year-old green card holder who lives near the West Loop with her American husband, was vacationing in Australia when Trump signed the executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program and halting immigration and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. It was unclear at first whether the order applied to green card holders, who reported facing hours of questioning by customs officials.
Haghighi, an artist whose work is displayed across the city, skipped her initial flight home and waited to rebook a new one in order to better understand the order. She wanted to make sure to land in Chicago, where her attorneys and husband Andy Culley were on hand in case anything went wrong. During a layover in Dubai, she got word that a federal judge in Seattle temporarily suspended the order, further assuaging her worries.
"It was really hectic, as you can imagine, because we went through a whole week of not knowing what would happen," Haghighi said Sunday, still fighting the jet lag from her long journey home. "Once I landed in Dubai and I got the message (about the suspension) I felt a lot better. But I was still sitting on a long flight, kind of not being sure. It was really scary, and I know I am in a much better situation than a lot of people because I have moral support and lawyers."
Once she got to O’Hare International Airport on Saturday afternoon, things seemed more "calm," Haghighi said. Officials directed her to a room for further questioning, which took about 15 minutes and was conducted professionally, she said.
Haghighi, who moved to the U.S. in 2013, said she is sharing her story to put a face on the issue and explain to people how green cards work.
"Having a green card is not the easiest process," she said. "We all go through three to four years of vetting and questions, and we have to provide documents … so it’s not like they hand it to us right away. To have to be questioned again — and although we are permanent residents — is really scary and insulting."
Chicago man is frantic over Trump order as Iranian-artist wife stranded abroad Elyssa Cherney
As a young girl growing up in Iran, Sarvin Haghighi used art to express herself in the 1980s, a violent and oppressive time in her country’s history.
When she came to the U.S. in 2013, after a stint in the United Arab Emirates, Haghighi embraced the new freedoms that were afforded to her, said…
As a young girl growing up in Iran, Sarvin Haghighi used art to express herself in the 1980s, a violent and oppressive time in her country’s history.
When she came to the U.S. in 2013, after a stint in the United Arab Emirates, Haghighi embraced the new freedoms that were afforded to her, said…
(Elyssa Cherney)
echerney@chicagotribune.com
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
