It’s been nearly two months since Iranian Morteza Shakeri, a resident of Stow, has seen his wife and child.
Mansoureh Shasti and their 1-year-old daughter, Kiana, are stuck in Canada since President Donald Trump’s recent executive order banning travel to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days.
The couple had been living in the United States since 2011, shortly after they were married. Shasti, 32, arrived in Canada on Sunday to pick up her paperwork to return to the United States after visiting an ill relative in Iran, which is one of the countries under the ban. The visa was already approved and ready to be picked up at the embassy in Canada, but then denied because of the recent executive order.
Canada is the closest embassy and the couple has friends who live there.
“We have never been separated, not even for one day in six years,” Shakeri said. “I just want to have my family back together as soon as possible.”
The couple initially came to the United States on student visas. She is a doctoral student in the physics program at Kent State University. He is a graduate student at the University of Akron and a civil engineer who works for Union Metal Corp. in Canton making light and traffic poles. He said he has authorization from the United States to work here for three years. But he fears that may also change.
“I don’t know anything about politics. I understand wanting a safe country. I want it to be safe too, but it’s a decision that affects innocent people like us. Innocent people are suffering,” he said. “My wife is just a student. She’s a highly educated person. She is not a dangerous person.”
KSU President Beverly Warren said she is deeply troubled by the situation.
“We will continue to do everything we can to help Mansoureh and any other student affected by the order,” she said. “Our priority is to support those from Kent State who seek to live, learn and make a positive impact on the world.”
Warren is strongly urging all international students and scholars to reconsider travel outside of the United States for the time being.
KSU’s Office of Global Education is planning a “support session” later this week to bring together immigration law and other experts to provide additional information, answer questions and afford an opportunity to gather in support of one another. The details for the session have not been finalized.
In the meantime, Shakeri, 34, said he doesn’t know who to turn to for help.
He said his baby is growing up every day without him and he misses her. He said people have told him that as American citizens they would go to Canada and get his baby for him. The child was born in the United States and therefore is a U.S. citizen.
“They were joking, but I would not want to separate my family,” he said. “We are a happy family. I want them both back.”
He said he also was in the process of trying to bring his parents to the United States this summer for a visit. He hasn’t seen his family in six years. The interview process was already scheduled for March, but now that also has been cancelled.
Both of their families live in Iran. He is one of nine children and his wife has three siblings.
Shakeri said one of his brothers, who has dual citizenship in Iran and England, also wanted to visit this summer while his parents were visiting, but that is impossible at the moment too.
He said his message to Trump would be: “Stop separating families.”
He couldn’t speculate about when his wife and their child will be allowed to cross the border into the United States.
“I would just be guessing,” Shakeri said. “I am tired and frustrated, but we have to obey the law. We don’t have any choice.”
Shakeri talks to his wife three or four times a day.
“She is hopeful that something will change. I try to be hopeful too,” he said. “We are both trying to be strong.”
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com or Follow her on Twitter@MarilynMillerBJ.