Sunnyvale Woman From Iran Held at SFO for Hours Over Trump Immigration Ban

A year ago, Sara K.’s father passed away in Iran.

In Iranian culture, it is customary for relatives and friends to celebrate the first anniversary of a loved one’s death. So Sara's 65-year-old mother, Farideh, left their home in Sunnyvale over the recent holidays and traveled back to Iran for the memorial.

Farideh, a legal permanent resident in the U.S. since 2015, was headed home to the Bay Area on Saturday. Her plane landed at San Francisco International Airport at 1:30 p.m. But unlike the other passengers, she wasn't able to leave and meet her waiting family — her daughter and her son-in-law.

Sara recalls the phone call she received from Farideh around 3 p.m. Her mother said: “There is an officer speaking Farsi and they are questioning me."

Farideh had been swept up in President Trump’s executive order, signed Friday, barring entry to all refugees for 120 days and from Syria indefinitely, and blocking visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days.

Sara was in disbelief that enforcement of the order happened in such a short period. Pregnant with her first child, she has tried to keep her stress low -- though the last few days have been tough.

As for Farideh, she said -- with Sara translating -- that she was treated well by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They asked her only general questions, such as “Why did you come here? What did you do in Iran?”

Customs didn’t explain why she was released. They simply gave back her passport after a few hours, and she was reunited with her daughter, the pair walking hand in hand at the airport.

Still, their worries aren’t over. Sara's brother, an Iranian citizen, is studying in Canada on a student visa and the family worries that he might not be able to come visit them in Sunnyvale like he does so often.