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"I feel tired of being cast aside and of being forced to prove my humanity at every turn," Elham Khatami, the outreach director for the National Iranian American Council, told TIME magazine. (Photo: Banned Grandmas/Instagram)
Spotlighting Cruelty of Trump's Muslim Ban, World Embraces #BannedGrandmas
A viral Instagram account shows who Trump's travel ban is "actually keeping out."
Jul 07, 2017
An attempt by the Trump administration to single out grandparents as it seeks to impose its widely denounced travel ban is hitting a snag: people love their grandparents.
When the Supreme Court partially reinstated President Donald Trump's ban last month, it included in its ruling an exemption for those who have "a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."
"We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling."
--Elham Khatami, National Iranian American Council
The State Department later released its definition of "bona fide relationship" which, as reports quickly observed, concluded that grandparents don't qualify.
Rights groups protested the definition, arguing that it is overly restrictive and "arbitrary."
Holly Dagres, a 31-year-old Iranian-American, soon found a more effective form of dissent: Posting pictures of "banned grandmas" on Instagram. The hashtags #GrandparentsNotTerrorists and #BannedGrandmas spread rapidly and major media outlets picked up on her account, which at present includes more than a dozen pictures of grandmothers who are currently barred from reuniting with their families due to Trump's ban.
The pictures demonstrate "who [Trump's] actually keeping out," Kia Hamadanchy, a Democrat running for Congress in Orange County, California, toldTIME magazine.
Trump's ban, Hamadanchy concluded, undermines the vision of America as a "shining beacon of hope for everyone."
"We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling," added Elham Khatami, the outreach director for the National Iranian American Council, whose family missed her wedding ceremony because of Trump's ban. "I feel tired of being cast aside and of being forced to prove my humanity at every turn."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
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An attempt by the Trump administration to single out grandparents as it seeks to impose its widely denounced travel ban is hitting a snag: people love their grandparents.
When the Supreme Court partially reinstated President Donald Trump's ban last month, it included in its ruling an exemption for those who have "a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."
"We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling."
--Elham Khatami, National Iranian American Council
The State Department later released its definition of "bona fide relationship" which, as reports quickly observed, concluded that grandparents don't qualify.
Rights groups protested the definition, arguing that it is overly restrictive and "arbitrary."
Holly Dagres, a 31-year-old Iranian-American, soon found a more effective form of dissent: Posting pictures of "banned grandmas" on Instagram. The hashtags #GrandparentsNotTerrorists and #BannedGrandmas spread rapidly and major media outlets picked up on her account, which at present includes more than a dozen pictures of grandmothers who are currently barred from reuniting with their families due to Trump's ban.
The pictures demonstrate "who [Trump's] actually keeping out," Kia Hamadanchy, a Democrat running for Congress in Orange County, California, toldTIME magazine.
Trump's ban, Hamadanchy concluded, undermines the vision of America as a "shining beacon of hope for everyone."
"We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling," added Elham Khatami, the outreach director for the National Iranian American Council, whose family missed her wedding ceremony because of Trump's ban. "I feel tired of being cast aside and of being forced to prove my humanity at every turn."
An attempt by the Trump administration to single out grandparents as it seeks to impose its widely denounced travel ban is hitting a snag: people love their grandparents.
When the Supreme Court partially reinstated President Donald Trump's ban last month, it included in its ruling an exemption for those who have "a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."
"We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling."
--Elham Khatami, National Iranian American Council
The State Department later released its definition of "bona fide relationship" which, as reports quickly observed, concluded that grandparents don't qualify.
Rights groups protested the definition, arguing that it is overly restrictive and "arbitrary."
Holly Dagres, a 31-year-old Iranian-American, soon found a more effective form of dissent: Posting pictures of "banned grandmas" on Instagram. The hashtags #GrandparentsNotTerrorists and #BannedGrandmas spread rapidly and major media outlets picked up on her account, which at present includes more than a dozen pictures of grandmothers who are currently barred from reuniting with their families due to Trump's ban.
The pictures demonstrate "who [Trump's] actually keeping out," Kia Hamadanchy, a Democrat running for Congress in Orange County, California, toldTIME magazine.
Trump's ban, Hamadanchy concluded, undermines the vision of America as a "shining beacon of hope for everyone."
"We don't recognize this country anymore, and it's a terrifying feeling," added Elham Khatami, the outreach director for the National Iranian American Council, whose family missed her wedding ceremony because of Trump's ban. "I feel tired of being cast aside and of being forced to prove my humanity at every turn."
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