'I was shocked': Edmonton mother fears daughter is stuck in U.S.
Farah Zavareh's daughter commutes to university in Michigan from her home in Windsor, Ont., every day
Farah Zavareh was born in Iran, but moved to Canada in 2006 with her son and daughter. She is a pediatrician, and she along with her daughter gained Canadian citizenship in 2015 while retaining their Iranian citizenship.
Her daughter, whose name is withheld, lives in Windsor, Ont., but goes to medical school at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. She commutes to school from Windsor every day.
On Jan. 27, her daughter was crossing the border to go to school when she was questioned at unusual length about her Canadian-Iranian citizenship and travel history back to Iran. A day later, U.S. President Donald Trump placed a ban and travel restrictions on people from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Now, Zavareh's daughter is afraid that if she returns to Windsor she won't make it back to Detroit for school. She is stuck in the United States — and her mother can't visit her, either.
"I was shocked," Zavareh said of the restrictions put in place by U.S. President Donald Trump. "She cannot get back to Canada."
Zavareh said her daughter is safe and is currently staying at a friend's house. But after initially hearing the news, she and her daughter were both concerned.
"She was stressed out," Zavareh said. "I tried to calm her down."
She wrote to her local MP, Matt Jeneroux of Edmonton Riverbend, about her situation.
"We are shocked at this development," she wrote. "This will either seriously impact my daughter's education opportunities, or separate us as a family."
No-win situation
Faisal Khan Suri of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council said these restrictions reverse progress.
"There is no win in this situation," he told CBC News. "This is a pure case of bigotry and an attack on democracy."
Suri said the ban is not only a loss for Muslims not being able to travel to the U.S., but it's a loss for humans on the whole as well.
"To go and say, 'just put a ban on the Muslim community itself,' in that sense from these certain countries is absolutely appalling," he said.
Federal, provincial and municipal politicians have all voiced their support for their respective Muslim communities, and Suri said that's what separates his country from the U.S.
"Diversity can't be tolerated — it needs to be celebrated," he said. "We celebrate the diversity, that's always the case."
'An ideal society'
Zavareh said the celebration of diversity here is important for her, too. She has never faced any racism or discrimination here, she said.
"It is an ideal society for me," she said of Canada.
It's an ideal society for her daughter, too — unfortunately, she's stuck in Michigan until further notice.
"I'm really worried about my daughter," she said. "I really now don't feel [she's] safe."
With files from Radio-Canada's Nic Pelletier, Emilio Avalos