Press Releases

Today U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat, released the following statement on the successful return of Benham Partopour, a chemical engineering student going for his PhD at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Central Massachusetts. Click here for photos from today’s arrival in Boston.

Partopour is an Iranian national who was in Iran when President Trump’s executive order on immigration went into effect. Partopour had a visa, but no airlines were willing to sell plane tickets that would allow him to return to the United States. Congressman McGovern’s office worked with the staff of ACLU Massachusetts and school officials at WPI on a daily basis after President Trump’s ban went into effect, finally securing his return today.

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) Statement:

“President Trump’s executive action is a direct assault on American values. Every day we are seeing new stories about the countless families it is hurting. Today I was proud to join the ACLU and WPI President Laurie Leshin in welcoming Behnam Partopour back to Boston after being stranded outside the United States for nearly a week.

“The fact that this reckless policy stopped a bright young man from returning to his studies at a top American university is appalling. And he is not alone. Hundreds have been detained and thousands have been impacted by President Trump’s ban. The chaos and confusion we’ve seen at airports across the country, including among both homeland security officers and the airlines, is stunning.

“This is what happens when an over-eager White House rushes a bad policy without thinking about the implications and effectively coordinating with the very federal agencies in charge of enforcing it. Americans deserve better from our leaders. I will continue to urge Republicans in Congress to do the right thing and join Americans across the country in rejecting this hate-driven policy and call on President Trump to immediately rescind this shameful executive order.”

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