Crystal Lake doctor with American, Iranian citizenship held for questioning at O’Hare – Chicago Tribune
Even if Dr. Amir Heydari had been held longer at OHare International Airport on his way home to Crystal Lake from Iran on Sunday, he knew hed be OK.
Hes a bariatric surgeon with a large network of colleagues, patients and friends; he's married to an American woman and together they're the parents of three American-born children; and above all, he himself has dual citizenship in Iran and the United States and he has lived in the Chicago area for nearly four decades.
Despite that, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday putting at least a temporary hold on immigration from seven Middle Eastern countries, including the one where he was visiting his 88-year-old mother, a clamant anxiety started building up.
"Its not me that I'm worried about," he said after landing at O'Hare and being stopped and questioned by customs officers. "I'm blessed that Im older and that Im in the position that I am where I have a lot of support. People would stand up for me. But I worry about the people who dont have the privilegethat I do, the people who are me 36 years ago not who I am now."
Back then, Heydari was leaving his homeland as a 17-year-old who was in part looking to get the best medical education possible, but also to preserve his freedom. He left Iran on Jan. 20, 1981 - the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States and what's considered the end of the Iran hostage crisis.
He wasn't admitted to the country until April of that year because there was a moritorium on providing visas to Iranian tourists and students at that time, too, he said. He was told he was given the very first student visa once the ban was lifted.
Heydari didn't travel back to Iran for more than 25 years, but has enjoyed about a trip a year for the past six or seven years to see his mother.
"I wanted to become a physician, of course, but I also wanted to live somewhere that celebrated freedom freedom of speech, freedom of religion, all of these kinds of things," he said. "Thats what everyone in the world thinks about the U.S.A., and unfortunately, when these types of actions are taken, the image is not the same anymore."
Heydari said at the end of each trip, he's always been greeted by friendly and respectful customs agents at O'Hare.
"Its really nice getting to the U.S., because when you come through the U.S., you know what they tell you? They just look at your passport and they say, Welcome home, sir."
Something was different this time.
"Typically (customs agents) are just wonderful in Chicago and Im very proud of that," Heydari said. "They were still extremely nice and I felt they were even somewhat apologetic. That they did not feel comfortable asking these questions but they had to because the order comes from above."
Heydari said he was one of three people on his connecting flight from Frankfurt who were pulled from the line and taken to a room for questioning. He was most concerned for a woman in her 20s who told him she has a visa but still worried she would somehow be denied entrance to her home. He waited for her after he was released but he didn't see her again.
Through the recent visits to Iran this past decade, Heydari said he's noticed how much life has improved for average Iranians. It was a surreal feeling speaking to his taxi driver, for example, about how freedoms are expanding in Iran but being taken away in the United States.
"Things like this happened slowly there as well, little rights were taken away in the name of security. I'm worried this is just the beginning here," he said. "It does not surprise me that this happens in countries that have no human rights, like North Korea. It just surprises me that it's happened in the United States."
Heydari said he doesn't practice any religion and questioned whether the seven countries were selected simply because they are majority Muslim, and questioned why a country such as Saudi Arabia would be left off the list if this is strictly for safety's sake, since many of the terrorists in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were from Saudi Arabia.
"I understand when they say it's about security, of course, but it's hard when it happens to you. How do they know what religion I am? They don't. So what will they get wrong about you and what price will you have to pay for it?"
He said it might be easy for people who don't have any family living outside of the country to think this is not their problem, or that it's not even a problem. He warned that once liberties are infringed upon for certain groups, it's much easier to begin siphoning off the freedoms of others.
"The United States is the greatest country in the world with regards to many things particularly our freedoms and if we have started enacting such oppressive laws in this country, how will we be viewed by other countries?" Heydari asked. "You cant have the greatest country in the world go down this path."
Tribune photojournalist Nancy Stone contributed.
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Crystal Lake doctor with American, Iranian citizenship held for questioning at O'Hare - Chicago Tribune