On the recordFebruary 2, 2017
Today I rise to tell the story of how last week's reckless and poorly implemented executive order indiscriminately banning immigrants from seven countries directly impacted two University of California, Santa Barbara graduate students in my district. My office was contacted by Hassan Arbabi, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at UCSB. Hassan reached out to me on behalf of his girlfriend, Maryam Rasekh, who has also been accepted into UCSB's Ph.D. program for electrical engineering. Maryam, an Iranian citizen, left the United States to undergo the vetting process for her F-1 student visa in order to attend graduate school in Santa Barbara. For months, Maryam interviewed and underwent an exhaustive administrative immigration process. Maryam's F-1 student visa was approved on Friday, January 26, the same day the President signed his executive order banning all immigrants from Iran. The order prevented Maryam from returning to the United States to begin her studies. We have in place the strictest vetting process in the world. Banning immigrants like Maryam from pursuing higher education degrees does not make us safer. It prevents people like Maryam from making important scientific advances and contributing to our Nation. ____________________
