Warren to host ex-Iraqi refugee at Trump address

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reportedly plans to bring a former Iraqi refugee to President Trump’s first joint address to Congress on Tuesday evening, highlighting her opposition to the president’s immigration and refugee restrictions.

The Associated Press said Monday that Tiba Faraj, who became a U.S. citizen last year after reaching Massachusetts in 2010 with her family, will be a guest of Warren at the Capitol.

Warren told the AP that Faraj’s courage, resilience and optimism embody the American spirit heading into Trump’s speech. Her father was working for a U.S.-backed development company in Iraq when he was shot and disabled in 2006.

{mosads}House Democrats also plan on bringing several people impacted by Trump’s temporary ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations to the president’s first congressional address.

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) plans to host Sara Yarjani, an Iranian graduate student who was detained for 23 hours at Los Angeles International Airport due to the ban.

Yarjani, who possesses a valid two-year student visa, was ultimately able to enter the U.S. one week after her Jan. 28 deportation.

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) will reportedly host Hameed Darweesh, an Iraqi who was detained for 18 hours at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last month.

The ACLU said Darweesh, who is married and has three children, served as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the Iraq War and was denied entry despite having a valid visa.

Trump reportedly plans on signing a new version of the order, which was halted by a federal court. The revised order could come as soon as this week.