An Iranian citizen with a valid United States visa, who was turned back at Los Angeles International Airport last week under President Donald Trump’s travel ban, returned Thursday amid a crowd singing “This Land is Your Land” and wild cheers.
Ali Vayeghan was detained over the weekend by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after his visa for permanent legal residence was approved by the U.S. last year through his son, a U.S. citizen who lives in Indiana, according to court documents.
“He doesn’t know what’s going on, but he says this is what humanity and human rights looks like,” said his niece Marjan Vayghan, who acted as his translator.
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Vayeghan was removed from the country last weekend under Trump’s executive order banning travel from Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. A federal judge ruled Sunday that he should be allowed to return and he arrived at LAX Thursday afternoon.
“As far as we know, this is the first instance of an individual wrongly sent back pursuant to the exec order who has been returned to the U.S. and we look forward to his arrival,” said Talia Inlender, a senior staff attorney at Public Counsel, a pro bono law firm in Los Angeles.
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