Iranian baby barred by Trump travel ban arrives at Oregon hospital

A four-month-old Iranian baby in need of heart surgery has been admitted to a hospital in Portland, Ore., after a judge halted President Trump’s travel ban that stopped her family from entering the United States.

Fatemah Reshad’s story gained national attention after she and her family were barred from entering the U.S. following Trump’s executive order blocking people from Iran and six other majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States.

{mosads}Iranian doctors told Fatemeh’s parents that she needed at least one surgery to correct a serious heart defect. The family had an appointment to get a tourist visa to visit the United States, but the appointment was abruptly canceled because of Trump’s executive order.

After a Seattle judge issued a temporary nationwide restraining order on Trump’s order, Fatemah was granted a waiver to enter the US.

According to The Associated Press, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) helped Fatemah and her family obtain the waivers need to come to the U.S. for treatment.

“Fatemeh looks well,” said Dr. Laurie Armsby, interim head of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at the children’s hospital at Oregon Health & Science University, the AP reported. “Our tests this morning have confirmed her diagnosis and the urgent need for treatment.”

Fatemah’s family chose to travel to Portland because her uncle and grandparents are U.S. citizens who live in Oregon.

Dr. Armsby will perform a cardiac catheterization, the AP reported, then Fatemah will undergo another five- to six-hour surgery.  

“This was truly a team effort to beat the clock, given the medical and legal hurdles Fatemeh was facing,” said Jennifer Morrissey, a Portland immigration attorney representing the family.