VOA常速英语:特朗普旅游禁令使很多伊朗裔美国人不敢旅行

In the heart of Persian Square, in West Los Angeles, everyone is getting ready for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year,it’s a time when family members visit each other.Normally it’s the busy season for the travel agencies who cater to the Iranian community, but not this year.

“They ask us question more than they make reservation.”“Most people when they purchase their ticket, they are purchasing a non-refundable ticket, the lowest lowest fare,and in that case, they were asking, okay, ’We need our refund because we’re not, we’re scared to go there, we don’t want to go.’”

Travel agent Farhad Besharati says Iranian Americans, even those who are U.S. citizens are afraid to travel or go to Iran because of Trump’s executive order.

“That’s Iranian new year, Nowruz. A lot of people plan to come and see their relatives, a lot of moms and old dads.Imagine it’s about 40 years after Iran’s revolution, a lot of people that are here,their relatives are getting older and older, so they cannot.”

The executive order says that Iran is on the list because it is a state sponsor of terrorism.Trump supporters applaud the measure.

“We’ve been invaded by, you know, refugees from all over, you know from Europe, and you know, and from our, from countries like Syria and Iran.And we, they have to be vetted, they have to be.”

But Iranian Americans say the order is unfair, that others carry out terrorism in the US.

“Never Iranian people had a terror in United States or anywhere else.Now, if you talking about the government, you have to separate the government’s account with the people.My people, they are under the big pressure of that dictatorship in Iran.So, don’t put government’s fault on the peoples.”

Among the people caught up in the banned, Iranian students studying in the US.

“We have a very large Iranian community here in Los Angeles,including a large Iranian Jewish community and a large Iranian Bahai community.So even though this ban went towards Muslim majority nations, it just didn’t impact Muslims.”

“There’s a lot of students in medicine that have been caught and you know, can’t come back.They have you know pending residencies, pending degrees waiting for them, but they can’t return.It’s not fair at all, it’s heart breaking.”

Besharati says there is nothing to do but be patient with President Trump’s order.

“We have to give him a chance, I mean, for some months, some times, at least, I mean, maybe, maybe he can prove he was the right about this decision.”

Meantime, some hang on to the words of the famous Persian poet Hafez.

“He says it never stay the same way as it was, and it will not stay the same way as it is, everything will change.”Probably not in time for this Nowruz.

Elizabeth Lee, VOA news, Los Angeles.