Thread: NC: U.S. may oust Carrboro woman

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/517002.html

Published: Dec 02, 2006 12:30 AM
Modified: Dec 02, 2006 03:33 AM

U.S. may oust Carrboro woman
An application for a permit puts Sima Fallahi, a native of Iran, in danger of being deported

Patrick Winn, Staff Writer

CARRBORO - For years, Sima Fallahi has been the consummate Carrboro mom. She paints with watercolors, lives simply and walks her daughter home from school.

But even close friends didn't know Fallahi was wanted by immigration authorities. Detained Wednesday, she likely will be deported to her native Iran.

Fallahi, 48, of 104 Shelton St., had gone to the Chapel Hill Police Department to apply for a business permit to sell artwork.

During a routine background check, police discovered Fallahi was under "final order for removal" status in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement database.

Police held Fallahi in the Orange County jail until immigration enforcement could transport her to a different, undisclosed location Thursday.

"In general, this means she'll be deported unless we're directed otherwise by the courts," said Marc Raimondi, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesman.

She was detained for violating immigration terms, not for being under criminal suspicion, he said.

Fallahi was raised in Abadan, Iran, an oil-rich province besieged by Iraqi forces during the Iran-Iraq war.

She came to the United States more than 10 years ago under a student visa, said Behrooz Fallahi, a brother living in Illinois.

She attended UNC-Greensboro and Guilford College, said Behrooz Fallahi. But she did not acquire a nonstudent visa after leaving college, he said.

Though Behrooz and Sima Fallahi have four other siblings, they are the only two living in the United States. Since Sima's phone was disconnected six months ago, they have communicated only through e-mail.

"Now, I don't see what can be done," Behrooz Fallahi said. "Sending her back to Iran is a grave consequence for her."

Sima Fallahi never mentioned the threat of deportation to Rachel Beck, a fellow Carrboro Elementary School parent.

Instead, the two talked gardening while their two fifth-grade daughters played outside. Fallahi's daughter, Leila, loved playing with Beck's daughter by nearby Bolin Creek.

"Leila is an incredibly imaginative, creative player," Beck said. "She's likely to build forts in the woods and construct things from scraps."

Fallahi, a single mother, has been inseparable from her daughter, friends said. Both were a presence at town gatherings and the popular Weaver Street Market, a short walk from their downtown home.

Fallahi also applied twice to be on town appearance advisory boards. In 2004, she was the Carrboro Parent Teacher Association liaison responsible for welcoming parents to the school.

As far as Fallahi's friends could tell, she relied on selling artwork and postcards for money.

"She's a really good fit for Carrboro," said Jackie Helvey, a Web designer and photographer. "Here's a person who's very involved in the community, and she's threatened with being taken away from her home. It's wrong."

Leila Fallahi is staying with family friends in the Triangle, Beck said.

Though Raimondi was not familiar with the specifics of Fallahi's case, he said her "final order of removal" status implies that there is little room for appeal.

"This [status] means a person has had their day in court, they've met before an immigration judge, and the judge has ordered them removed," he said.

Email the N&O to ask for follow-up human interest
stories on the families of the 3 kids killed by illegal alien
Pastor Sanchez near Sanford, NC. I suppose their
suffering is not as compelling as Ms Fallahi's. At least
Fallahi will have the option of being with her daughter.
I suppose one has to be an artist in upscale Carrboro
to get a nod on one's personal immigration crisis in
the News & Obsfucator.

I suppose the Methodist churches in Carrboro are not
offering sanctuary just yet. Give them time.

I hope theydeport her. It may give courage to those ICE weenies in Chicago to go after Elvira. I want this one packed up and sent home pronto!!

Originally Posted by Sailor

I hope theydeport her. It may give courage to those ICE weenies in Chicago to go after Elvira. I want this one packed up and sent home pronto!!

Ahhhhhh, but there is a very important difference between the two.

One is hispanic and the other not! Notice a trend here?

.

Sleeper Agent

2ndamendsis wrote:

Ahhhhhh, but there is a very important difference between the two.

One is hispanic and the other not! Notice a trend here?

How racist is that? And they tell us racial profiling is something we all must not do..

These deportations of OTMs are being done just to try and pacify us. 90% of illegal aliens are from Mexico. Talk about sticking their heads in the sand..its like they're actually afraid to deal with the illegals who are from Mexico. But I won't gripe about someone illegally here from Iran being deported either.

This woman was in "The People's Republic of Carrboro". - a sanctuary city.

Just like Elvira, this lady will not be deported. Her lawyer and husband will see to it.

Do any of you care that this woman will most likely be killed if she's sent back to Iran? I guess you don't have any heart. The instance of the illegal immigrant who killed three people is not applicable in this instance; this woman is not a murderer and has in fact been so law-abiding that she has been able to fly under the legal radar for 20 years. And, being a legal immigrant or a native American does not mean that one is not a killer, considering the millions of Americans that are killers.

All this does is waste millions in taxpayer money for a trial, keeping this woman in jail, etc., and keep a girl from her mother at a time when a girl needs her mother. If you only care about legal Americans, that girl is a legal American and this affects her more than anyone else.

Anyone who does not want America to be a haven for those who are persecuted in other places is not a true American. That's what America stands for-- the tired, poor and hungry can come here and work their way up unlike anywhere else in the world. We welcome them because we are a nation of immigrants.

If you disagree, well, you can go back to wherever your great-grandparents immigrated from. Problem is, you won't be welcomed there as your ancestors were welcomed here.

Originally Posted by brightmidnight

That's what America stands for-- the tired, poor and hungry can come here and work their way up unlike anywhere else in the world. We welcome them because we are a nation of immigrants.
.

That right brightmidnight, we are a nation of immigrants, LEGAL immigrants!!! Sorry, I don't buy your sentiments!! The lady knew she was illegal, broke the law and did nothing about it. So now, we are to feel sorry for her ???