Iranian Man Barred Entry to US Under Travel Ban Lands in L.A., Is First to Return After Court Order

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

An Iranian man who was barred from entering the United States under President Trump’s travel ban returned to Los Angeles on Thursday, the first person allowed into the country after a legal challenge to the White House’s executive order.

Ali Vayeghan, center, an Iranian citizen with a valid U.S. visa, is swarmed by the media as he is escorted through LAX by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, after his arrival on Feb. 2, 2017. (Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Ali Vayeghan was aboard a flight from Qatar that landed at Los Angeles International Airport at 12:40 p.m., said family members and attorneys who took up his case. A roar of approval went up from immigration attorneys and relatives who had gathered at LAX’s Terminal 2 when it was announced that Vayeghan’s plane had landed.

Vayeghan reunited with supporters around 1:30 p.m. after officials allowed him into the U.S.

Flanked by his brother and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Vayeghan was surrounded by a throng of journalists when he emerged. Asked how he felt, he responded in Farsi, which was translated by his niece: “This is what humanity looks like. This is what human rights looks like. I am shocked, honored and awed.”