Clemson University graduate and Iranian citizen Dr. Nazanin Zinouri returned to the U.S. on Feb. 5 after a week of uncertainty about whether she would be allowed back into the country.
Zinouri arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston on Feb. 5. From Boston, Zinouri will fly into Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport on Feb. 6 just after noon, according to a tweet made by her employer, Modjoul.
Zinouri made international headlines after she posted on Facebook about her removal from a flight in Dubai on Jan. 28. She was removed as a result of President Donald Trump’s executive order halting immigration from seven Middle Eastern countries, including Iran.
On Feb. 3, U.S. District Court Judge James Robart ordered a halt on the ban’s enforcement. The Justice Department appealed the ruling late Feb. 4, saying the president had the constitutional authority to order the ban. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied the government’s request for an immediate stay of the ruling on Feb. 5.
Eric Martinez, the founder and CEO of Modjoul where Zinouri is currently employed, released this statement about her attempt to return to the U.S. before she was cleared to return:
“We are obviously encouraged by the Judge’s order and can only surmise that it is a positive development for Nazanin. However, we simply do not yet have any clarity around its actual impact to our efforts to bring her home.”