Gay Iranian man fears he cannot re-enter US under new Trump order
A gay Iranian man has taken to Facebook to express fear that he will not be allowed to re-enter the US when he returns from his gay cruise holiday.
May Sam wrote on Facebook as President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban Muslim immigrants from high risk countries.
The order, which is being coined the Muslim ban, came just a week after Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
The three-month order puts a strict ban on immigrants from Iraq, Syrian, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen entering the US.
Trump said: “We’re going to have a very, very strict ban, and we’re going to have extreme vetting.”
Sam wrote on Facebook: “I left the port with a legal status for a Gay Cruise. Now I may not be able to enter the US tomorrow. My future is all unclear just by a sudden change in law.
“If I get detained and sent back to Iran, at least I lived the life to the fullest as a gay man in the US, and I want to thank you all fir being part of this experience,” he added.
He has received a flood of support from family, friends and strangers who are against the ban and have contacted ACLU on behalf of May.
“I am overwhelmed by all of the support. From friends and family and people who I know, to people that I have never met before,” Sam wrote.
Just an hour ago Sam’s cruise ship docked and as people were exiting the ship, he was stopped and escorted to the Customs and Border Protection.
At the time of writing, the most recent update from Sam confirmed that he had been asked to wait in a room and the escorting officer said it may take a while.
However, Sam wrote “I feel the support of everyone here, from the officers, sheriff and other passengers. Thank you all. Still waiting in the room.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has been to court to challenge the “unconstitutional” executive order, and won.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said: “This is a remarkable day. When President Trump enacts laws or executive orders that are unconstitutional and illegal, the courts are there to defend everyone’s rights.”
