My name is Ali Shahbazi, an Iranian composer who has been separated from my family due to the travel ban imposed on Iranians

 Because of my mandatory military service in IRGC in 2001, I am prohibited from entering the United States and meeting my wife and my 3 years old son.

My young family and I are suffering from this separation. My son is growing up without me and my wife has to work and raise our child by herself.

Our mandatory military service was imposed on us. We had no say in where we would go.

Since 2019, hundreds of families have been torn apart by the ban, which separates many husbands from their wives and children. These men had no choice but to serve in the IRGC, as it is mandatory for all Iranian men to do 21 months of military service in any of the three branches of the armed forces. The US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group was mostly a symbolic gesture that did not affect the IRGC’s operations, experts say. It only caused a lot of suffering for many people who have no connection to the IRGC.

Unfortunately the U.S. government doesn’t care what the reasons were, or your particular situation, they just deny.

We urge you to consider this petition as a plea from all those families longing for reunion. We ask for your support in lifting this travel ban that separates us from our families and deprives us of living a normal life together. 

Please sign this petition and help reunite Iranian families affected by this travel ban.