Kiana Ehsani, an Iranian-origin US founder, has reacted emotionally to the new Green Card rules announced by the Trump administration. Although she is already a Green Card holder and not an applicant herself, Ehsani expressed that the situation for her and her fellow Iranians is dire. In a series of social media posts, she shared a heartbreaking personal update: her wedding in Turkiye had to be called off because all flights to and from Iran have been canceled, preventing her family from leaving the country.
A Wedding Postponed by Immigration Policies
Ehsani revealed that she was supposed to be on her way to Turkiye for her wedding. The couple had chosen Turkiye as the venue because of its proximity to Iran, allowing family members from both sides to attend. The ceremony was planned as an intimate gathering on a boat on the Mediterranean Sea at sunset. Instead of celebrating, Ehsani found herself confronting the new Green Card rule that requires applicants to return to their home countries to apply.
She wrote, "This means every one of my Iranian friends who are here on a visa now has to go back home (on which flight?) to get a green card??? As if it’s that easy? We all know getting back to the US for Iranians is a huge challenge (months and months of waiting for a visa, with a chance of never being able to come back)."
Living in Constant Pain
Ehsani, who has lived in the US for 11 years and held a Green Card for five years, is eligible to apply for citizenship. However, she noted that due to the ongoing US-Iran tensions, Iranians are effectively barred from any kind of immigration. She described the emotional toll of the situation: "And this is just a normal Friday for an Iranian. These days, when people ask how I’m doing and how I’m handling everything, I just say: It’s okay, it’s okay. It will be okay some day. But the reality is: nothing is okay. I’m in constant pain. I haven’t seen my family and loved ones in years, I barely hear about their wellbeing, and I’m constantly worried about them. I’m just burying myself in work because that’s the only distraction that can save me from losing my mind. I’m not okay. None of us are okay. We are just barely holding it together…"
Background on Kiana Ehsani
Ehsani holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Washington. She was the co-founder of Vercept, an AI safety startup that was recently acquired by Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence company. Her story highlights the human impact of restrictive immigration policies on individuals and families.
