Latest news with #Scalise
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Iranian mother released from ICE detention after Republican House Majority Leader intervenes
New Orleans AP — An Iranian mother detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers has been released this week following advocacy from Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian, 64, was detained by ICE officers last month as she gardened in the yard of her New Orleans home. She had been living in the United States for 47 years, and her husband and daughter are both US citizens. Kashanian had been allowed to stay in the US as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, as she had done without fail, her family and attorney said. After a surge of community support for Kashanian, Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, including the New Orleans suburbs, told media outlet WDSU that he asked the Department of Homeland Security to give Kashanian 'a fair shake.' Scalise said Kashanian should be judged on 'her life's work' and role in her community. 'When she was picked up, we looked at it and said, 'Are they really looking at it the right way, objectively?'' Scalise told WDSU. 'And so they took a second look at it.' Scalise's office did not respond to a request for comment from the AP. Scalise's intervention was 'absolutely crucial' to behind-the-scenes advocacy to secure Kashanian's release, her attorney Ken Mayeaux told The Associated Press. What happens next for Kashanian's legal status is still being worked out, said. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, seen on July 3./File Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that 'the facts of this case have not changed.' 'Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally,' McLaughlin said. 'She exhausted all her legal options.' Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Republican who represents Kashanian's community, said she had been a 'devoted mother and wife, a caretaker, neighbor and dedicated volunteer' with Habitat for Humanity, her local school district and other organizations. More than 100 of Kashanian's neighbors wrote letters of support for her, which Hilferty told the AP she and Scalise had shared with President Donald Trump's administration. 'She's just been an incredible volunteer and servant to our Lakeview community, everybody knows her because of all she gives and does,' said Connie Uddo, a neighbor of Kashanian's who leads the NOLA Tree Project where Kashanian and her husband have volunteered for years. Some neighbors wrote letters addressed to Trump expressing support for his immigration policies but saying that some people like Kashanian were being detained improperly and urging him to reconsider her case. Kashanian had arrived in the U.S. in 1978 on a student visa and unsuccessfully applied for asylum based on her father's support of the U.S.-backed shah. ICE New Orleans said in a June post on the social platform X that Kashanian had failed to depart the U.S. after the Board of Immigration Appeals upheld a deportation order in 1992. 'She was ordered by a judge to depart the U.S. and didn't,' the agency said. 'Shouldn't be a surprise we came knocking.' But Kashanian was allowed to remain with her husband and child as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, her family said. For decades, she had 'faithfully and fully complied with those terms,' said Mayeaux, her attorney. She even managed to check in with authorities while displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Kashanian met her husband, Russell Milne while bartending as a student in the late 1980s. She filmed Persian cooking tutorials on YouTube and doted on the neighboring children. Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian sits with her husband Russell Milne at their wedding. Kaitlynn Milne/AP Milne told the AP his family was 'extremely grateful' for all the support from their community and elected officials. 'She's meeting her obligations,' Milne told the AP following her detention. 'She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?' Other Iranians living in the U.S. for decades have also been picked up by immigration authorities, and U.S. military strikes on Iran have raised concerns that more may be taken into custody and deported. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Immigration authorities are seeking to arrest 3,000 people a day under directives from the Trump administration. Kashanian's attorney Mayeaux said he represents other clients who had built lives in the U.S. over decades and are now being detained and deported. 'There is still a tremendous amount of heartache that is happening for people,' Mayeaux said. 'The difference is they lived quiet lives and didn't have access to political power to change the outcomes in their cases.'
American Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Scalise helps Iranian woman
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana helps a Uranian woman and says the nation's immigration laws need to be updated.(Photo courtesy of U.S. House) House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Jefferson, Louisiana's No. 2 official in the U.S. House of Representatives, has come to the aid of an Iranian woman. Donna Kashanian has lived in New Orleans for almost 50 years and was arrested by ICE agents outside her Lakeview home on June 22. Kashanian walked free from detention in Basile after hundreds of residents wrote to Scalise and local and state officials highlighting her contributions to the community, according to a news report by Most illegal immigrants who have lived and worked in this country for years and have been arrested by ICE don't have anyone with political influence like Scalise speaking up for their interests. They have been detained without any chance to prove they haven't received a fair shake. Catherine Rampell summed the current immigrant situation up well in a Wednesday column when she said, '… Agents have descended upon big cities and small town America alike, often masked, armed and refusing to show warrants or identification. With daily arrest quotas to meet, agents are filling detention centers not with criminals and gangbusters, but people who have no criminal history whatsoever.' Scalise helped secure Kashanian's release after reviewing her file and determining she did not receive fair treatment in her applications for asylum and a green card in the 1980s, Scalise said. Kashanian came to the United States from Iran on a student visa in 1978 and unsuccessfully petitioned for asylum, citing her family's connection to the U.S.-backed Shah, who was deposed the following year. She also applied for a green card as the spouse of a U.S. citizen after marrying Russell Milne in 1990. The family said officials rejected that claim because of a previous Kashanian marriage that they deemed fraudulent. Kashanian will be allowed to live at home while she submits new green card and asylum applications, Scalise said. He emphasized that he can't guarantee the outcome of that process — only that 'she's going to get a fair shake.' Isn't that what other illegal immigrants who haven't committed a crime deserve — a fair shake? The family of Kashanian thanked Scalise, state Rep. Stefanie Hilferty, R-Metairie, and New Orleans City Council member Joe Giarrusso for ensuring she is 'treated fairly.' Once again, isn't that what other illegal immigrants also deserve? Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, obviously isn't happy. 'Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally,' McLaughlin said. 'She exhausted all her legal options.' Even Scalise admits something is currently wrong with the way illegal immigrants are being rounded up. He said Kashanian's arrest shows the need for federal legislation streamlining how the country treats people who lack legal residency but follow the law. Scalise praised President Donald Trump's immigration agenda, securing the border and deporting people with criminal histories. However, he also explained the weakness in the current arrest system. According to Scalise said the case of Kashanian — a 64-year-old with no criminal record known widely in New Orleans volunteering circles — illustrates how the system is sometimes ill-equipped to fairly handle millions of people living in the United States without legal residency who have not committed crimes. 'We all know there are bad people here illegally and there are people here illegally who haven't committed other crimes,' Scalise said. 'And so what do you do about that? That's not a problem the president alone can figure out, because some of this is law. 'We will have to change law in Congress,' he added, 'and that means both parties are going to have to come together to do it, not to yell and scream and demagogue the issue.' The news report said Scalise didn't elaborate on specific legislative changes to the immigration system he would support. But he said he's hopeful now that border crossings have plummeted that attention in Congress can turn to that question. said the remarks by Scalise highlight the broad range of perspectives now shaping debate over the future of the U.S. immigration system in Washington. Why wait to reform immigration law when there are so many innocent people like Kashanian sitting in detention centers right now? Each one would also like help from someone with the political power of Scalise. Don't all of us want a chance to prove our innocence anytime we are arrested? Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iranian grandmother released after being detained by ICE while gardening outside Louisiana home
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A woman who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 50 years and had no criminal record was detained outside of her Lakeview, La., home by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last month, much to the shock of her family and friends. After nearly three weeks in custody, her family confirmed she has been released, and a Republican lawmaker may be to thank. In June, Mandonna Kashanian's daughter Kaitlyn Milne told Nexstar's WGNO that her mother had been taken away by ICE agents while gardening outside her home. Sarah Gerig and her husband watched it all happen in real-time, claiming ICE agents gave no explanation. 'When … we saw her getting taken, I mean, it was one of our worst fears, but we were shocked,' Gerig said. 'I mean, it was in front of her house, and she, she was in her yard. My husband ran out to try to talk to her.' Kashanian's daughter, Kaitlynn Milne, says she was able to track her mother's phone to find out where she was: a jail in Hancock County, Miss., and then to detention centers in Jena and Basile. Kashanian came to the U.S. on a student visa when she was 17 years old. She reportedly applied for asylum but was denied. According to Milne, Kashanian was granted a stay of deportation in 1978, allowing her to stay in the U.S. under supervision. 'She checks in regularly,' Milne said last month. 'She had her next appointment on July 21. The only appointment that she might not have been able to walk through the door for was 2024 when they were saying no one can come in to make an appointment online.' ICE claims Kashanian was ordered by a judge to leave the U.S. and did not. On Tuesday, a family member confirmed to WGNO that she was released on Monday night. Neighbors share thoughts after Louisiana woman is released by ICE After a surge of community support for Kashanian, Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, including the New Orleans suburbs, told local media outlet WDSU that he asked the Department of Homeland Security to give Kashanian 'a fair shake.' Scalise said Kashanian should be judged on 'her life's work' and role in her community. 'When she was picked up, we looked at it and said, 'Are they really looking at it the right way, objectively?'' Scalise told WDSU. 'And so they took a second look at it.' Scalise's intervention was 'absolutely crucial' to behind-the-scenes advocacy to secure Kashanian's release, her attorney Ken Mayeaux told The Associated Press. What happens next for Kashanian's legal status is still being worked out, he said. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that 'the facts of this case have not changed.' 'Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally,' McLaughlin said. 'She exhausted all her legal options.' Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Republican who represents Kashanian's community, said she had been a 'devoted mother and wife, a caretaker, neighbor and dedicated volunteer' with Habitat for Humanity, her local school district and other organizations. Hantavirus, rabies exposures confirmed at Grand Canyon National Park More than 100 of Kashanian's neighbors wrote letters of support for her, which Hilferty told the AP that she and Scalise had shared with President Donald Trump's administration. 'She's just been an incredible volunteer and servant to our Lakeview community, everybody knows her because of all she gives and does,' said Connie Uddo, a neighbor of Kashanian's who leads the NOLA Tree Project where Kashanian and her husband have volunteered for years. Some neighbors wrote letters addressed to Trump expressing support for his immigration policies but saying that some people like Kashanian were being detained improperly and urging him to reconsider her case. 'She's meeting her obligations,' Milne told the AP following her detention. 'She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?' Other Iranians living in the U.S. for decades have also been picked up by immigration authorities, and U.S. military strikes on Iran have raised concerns that more may be taken into custody and deported. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Immigration authorities are seeking to arrest 3,000 people a day under directives from the Trump administration. Musk's AI company scrubs inappropriate posts after Grok chatbot makes antisemitic comments Kashanian's attorney, Mayeaux, said he represents other clients who had built lives in the U.S. over decades and are now being detained and deported. 'There is still a tremendous amount of heartache that is happening for people,' Mayeaux said. 'The difference is they lived quiet lives and didn't have access to political power to change the outcomes in their cases.' The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Iranian grandmother released after being detained by ICE while gardening outside Louisiana home
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A woman who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 50 years and had no criminal record was detained outside of her Lakeview, La., home by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last month, much to the shock of her family and friends. After nearly three weeks in custody, her family confirmed she has been released, and a Republican lawmaker may be to thank. In June, Mandonna Kashanian's daughter Kaitlyn Milne told Nexstar's WGNO that her mother had been taken away by ICE agents while gardening outside her home. Sarah Gerig and her husband watched it all happen in real-time, claiming ICE agents gave no explanation. 'When … we saw her getting taken, I mean, it was one of our worst fears, but we were shocked,' Gerig said. 'I mean, it was in front of her house, and she, she was in her yard. My husband ran out to try to talk to her.' Kashanian's daughter, Kaitlynn Milne, says she was able to track her mother's phone to find out where she was: a jail in Hancock County, Miss., and then to detention centers in Jena and Basile. Kashanian came to the U.S. on a student visa when she was 17 years old. She reportedly applied for asylum but was denied. According to Milne, Kashanian was granted a stay of deportation in 1978, allowing her to stay in the U.S. under supervision. 'She checks in regularly,' Milne said last month. 'She had her next appointment on July 21. The only appointment that she might not have been able to walk through the door for was 2024 when they were saying no one can come in to make an appointment online.' ICE claims Kashanian was ordered by a judge to leave the U.S. and did not. On Tuesday, a family member confirmed to WGNO that she was released on Monday night. After a surge of community support for Kashanian, Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, including the New Orleans suburbs, told local media outlet WDSU that he asked the Department of Homeland Security to give Kashanian 'a fair shake.' Scalise said Kashanian should be judged on 'her life's work' and role in her community. 'When she was picked up, we looked at it and said, 'Are they really looking at it the right way, objectively?'' Scalise told WDSU. 'And so they took a second look at it.' Scalise's intervention was 'absolutely crucial' to behind-the-scenes advocacy to secure Kashanian's release, her attorney Ken Mayeaux told The Associated Press. What happens next for Kashanian's legal status is still being worked out, he said. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that 'the facts of this case have not changed.' 'Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally,' McLaughlin said. 'She exhausted all her legal options.' Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Republican who represents Kashanian's community, said she had been a 'devoted mother and wife, a caretaker, neighbor and dedicated volunteer' with Habitat for Humanity, her local school district and other organizations. More than 100 of Kashanian's neighbors wrote letters of support for her, which Hilferty told the AP that she and Scalise had shared with President Donald Trump's administration. 'She's just been an incredible volunteer and servant to our Lakeview community, everybody knows her because of all she gives and does,' said Connie Uddo, a neighbor of Kashanian's who leads the NOLA Tree Project where Kashanian and her husband have volunteered for years. Some neighbors wrote letters addressed to Trump expressing support for his immigration policies but saying that some people like Kashanian were being detained improperly and urging him to reconsider her case. 'She's meeting her obligations,' Milne told the AP following her detention. 'She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?' Other Iranians living in the U.S. for decades have also been picked up by immigration authorities, and U.S. military strikes on Iran have raised concerns that more may be taken into custody and deported. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Immigration authorities are seeking to arrest 3,000 people a day under directives from the Trump administration. Kashanian's attorney, Mayeaux, said he represents other clients who had built lives in the U.S. over decades and are now being detained and deported. 'There is still a tremendous amount of heartache that is happening for people,' Mayeaux said. 'The difference is they lived quiet lives and didn't have access to political power to change the outcomes in their cases.' The Associated Press contributed to this report.
7 days ago
- Politics
Iranian mother released from ICE detention after Republican House Majority Leader intervenes
NEW ORLEANS -- An Iranian mother detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers has been released this week following advocacy from Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian, 64, was detained by ICE officers last month as she gardened in the yard of her New Orleans home. She had been living in the United States for 47 years, and her husband and daughter are both U.S. citizens. Kashanian had been allowed to stay in the U.S. as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, as she had done without fail, her family and attorney said. After a surge of community support for Kashanian, Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, including the New Orleans suburbs, told media outlet WDSU that he asked the Department of Homeland Security to give Kashanian 'a fair shake.' Scalise said Kashanian should be judged on 'her life's work' and role in her community. 'When she was picked up, we looked at it and said, 'Are they really looking at it the right way, objectively?'' Scalise told WDSU. 'And so they took a second look at it.' Scalise's office did not respond to a request for comment from the AP. Scalise's intervention was 'absolutely crucial' to behind-the-scenes advocacy to secure Kashanian's release, her attorney Ken Mayeaux told The Associated Press. What happens next for Kashanian's legal status is still being worked out, he said. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that 'the facts of this case have not changed.' 'Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally,' McLaughlin said. 'She exhausted all her legal options.' Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Republican who represents Kashanian's community, said she had been a 'devoted mother and wife, a caretaker, neighbor and dedicated volunteer' with Habitat for Humanity, her local school district and other organizations. More than 100 of Kashanian's neighbors wrote letters of support for her, which Hilferty told the AP she and Scalise had shared with President Donald Trump's administration. 'She's just been an incredible volunteer and servant to our Lakeview community, everybody knows her because of all she gives and does,' said Connie Uddo, a neighbor of Kashanian's who leads the NOLA Tree Project where Kashanian and her husband have volunteered for years. Some neighbors wrote letters addressed to Trump expressing support for his immigration policies but saying that some people like Kashanian were being detained improperly and urging him to reconsider her case. Kashanian had arrived in the U.S. in 1978 on a student visa and unsuccessfully applied for asylum based on her father's support of the U.S.-backed shah. ICE New Orleans said in a June post on the social platform X that Kashanian had failed to depart the U.S. after the Board of Immigration Appeals upheld a deportation order in 1992. 'She was ordered by a judge to depart the U.S. and didn't,' the agency said. 'Shouldn't be a surprise we came knocking.' But Kashanian was allowed to remain with her husband and child as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, her family said. For decades, she had 'faithfully and fully complied with those terms,' said Mayeaux, her attorney. She even managed to check in with authorities while displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Kashanian met her husband, Russell Milne while bartending as a student in the late 1980s. She filmed Persian cooking tutorials on YouTube and doted on the neighboring children. Milne told the AP his family was 'extremely grateful' for all the support from their community and elected officials. 'She's meeting her obligations,' Milne told the AP following her detention. 'She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?' Other Iranians living in the U.S. for decades have also been picked up by immigration authorities, and U.S. military strikes on Iran have raised concerns that more may be taken into custody and deported. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Immigration authorities are seeking to arrest 3,000 people a day under directives from the Trump administration. Kashanian's attorney Mayeaux said he represents other clients who had built lives in the U.S. over decades and are now being detained and deported. 'There is still a tremendous amount of heartache that is happening for people,' Mayeaux said. "The difference is they lived quiet lives and didn't have access to political power to change the outcomes in their cases."
