Re: “Can an Asylum Seeker Go Home Again?”
As an immigrant myself, I was shocked that my Iranian refugee friend, who came here seeking political asylum, voluntarily returned to Iran and visited other countries while abroad.
And what did Iranian officials tell you while entering the country? I asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “I had no involvement in the politics, it was just for getting my American papers. Sometimes instead of saying that, one can say that he/she is gay and has been persecuted by the government.
“I didn’t want to say that,” she said, “because I have grown-up children!”
I was surprised, I have been in this country for more than 30 years.
I did not know you could obtain so many free things in America! My children are still paying back the loans that they took for college and for medical schools.
My friend, though!
She does not even speak good English, although she has received money each semester and taken classes at Santa Monica College in ESL, photoshop, computer, painting and other courses.
But she knows much more than many Americans do.
As she was telling me how good life was in Iran, I asked:
“So why are you still here? Why don’t you go back? Live where you are happier? Why did you come to begin with?”
Her Idea of ‘Freedom’
She answered:
“I saw all the movies on the Dish TV. I thought life here was like Hollywood movies. I wanted to have a part of it.
“I am also good here. Now I am here for the moment. I am going to try different things.
“In two years I will have my official American papers.
“Then I will be secure for life — Medicare, retirement, and so on.
“The dollar, you know, is worth almost 400 times more than the local money in Iran.
“Besides, I have to take care of some health issues. I had work done on some teeth in Iran years ago. Now they are not nice.
“They give me problems. I have to take care of them soon.
“It is free, and the care is excellent.”
My friend said she had priorities.
“Before taking care of my teeth, I should have some tests and an MRI on my kidneys. I have been experiencing a little discomfort. When I saw my doctor in Iran, he tested my blood and urine.
“She told me it will be wise to do an MRI to make sure nothing is there. But I told her I do not have time now I will take care in America. She gave me antibiotics in case I had just a small infection.”
We were walking along the beach in Santa Monica. The homeless man who had asked for a dollar was far from us. But I could see many more homeless on the grass in distance.
I had to hear more of my Iranian refigee friend’s adventures.
It is true that not all the refugees are in her condition.
But do we know how many are the real ones?
It is true that Los Angeles has developed since the 1980s when Iranians came to Los Angeles and Beverly Hills with huge funds, bought and developed stores and houses for more modern looks.
Many of the best doctors in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles are Iranians or from Iranian origins.
They are the real treasures of our country. There are so many other scientists, historians and business people who have helped the advancement of our country.
But we should think of the abuses that are going on around us, too.
Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and four children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published five books in America. Since 1985, she has operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business, on Robertson Boulevard. Her email address is Rosemary@atelierdeparis.com.