SoCal family caught up in Trump's immigration ban

Leanne Suter Image
Sunday, January 29, 2017
SoCal family caught up in Trump's immigration ban
Rokhsan Enanoria of Burbank is worried that her parents will not be allowed to return home from visiting family in Iran.

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- A Southern California woman whose parents are visiting family in Iran is worried they may not be allowed to return to the country under President Donald Trump's order blocking travelers from seven nations.

Trump issued an order blocking for 90 days travelers from seven countries believed to have terrorism ties.

A judge in New York on Saturday blocked deportations of those already at U.S. airports, but it is not clear what will happen to future travelers from those nations, even those with dual citizenship, or whether the ban might become permanent.

Rokhsan Enanoria's parents, who hold dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, were expecting to return next week after visiting family in Teheran.

But now the Burbank woman faces a serious fear: "That I will never see my family ever again. I think that's been the toughest part for me."

She and her husband Harold have been glued to their phones and computers to try to get information from U.S. and Iranian officials, but they have had no luck so far.

For Enanoria, the situation represents a repeat of the past.

Her family emigrated to the United States in 1979. Her father stayed behind, expecting to join them a few weeks later. But bans on travel from that country kept him away for eight years.

Now she worries her daughter will never get to see her grandparents - now in their 80s - again.

"I was separated from my father. That was torture for my family. So I don't want that happening to my daughter again."