An Encinitas student, deported after President Donald Trump’s first travel ban, is praising a federal judge's decision to put the administration’s revised travel ban on hold.
“I like what they said about the notion of targeting whole groups of people as being flawed. I think that is so important,” said Sara Yarjani.
Yarjani, 35, is an Iranian national with residency status in Austria. She said she was heading to Los Angeles when the president’s first travel ban was enacted. She was detained at LAX for 23 hours before being deported back to Austria.
She called her treatment harsh.
“I had everything taken away. I had my phone taken away and they said to take your jewelry off. I didn’t even know why,” said Yarjani.
Yarjani is in the U.S. on a multiple entry student visa. She is studying Holistic Health at the California Institute for Human Science in Encinitas.
The president’s revised travel ban would not have applied to green card holder or people holding valid visas – as is the case with Yarjani. But for Yarjani, it didn’t matter.
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She said she was troubled the order targeted groups of people.
“There are so many people, nations of people and to think whole nations of people are a threat just because of where they’re from, for me, that’s strange and it doesn’t make sense,” said Yarjani.
Yarjani also had this message for anyone who may be afraid or threatened by someone from another country.
“I feel people are made to be scared of whole nations of people. I feel that if you don’t know someone from a different country, or if you don’t know a Muslim or Iranian, or someone from those countries, and you feel they’re scary, just meet one.”
