An Iranian mother detained by ICE was released following advocacy from Republican Congressman Steve Scalise. Mandonna "Donna" Kashanian (64) was detained by ICE officers last month as she gardened in the yard of her New Orleans home. She had been living in the US for 47 years and her husband and daughter are both US citizens. Kashanian had been allowed to stay in the US as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, as she had done without fail. After a surge of community support for Kashanian, Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st CD, including the New Orleans suburbs, told media outlet WDSU that he asked DHS to give Kashanian "a fair shake." Scalise said Kashanian should be judged on "her life's work" and role in her community. "When she was picked up, we looked at it and said, Are they really looking at it the right way, objectively?'" Scalise asked. "And so they [ICE] took a second look at it."

Scalise's intervention was "absolutely crucial" to behind-the-scenes advocacy to secure Kashanian's release, her attorney said. Mrs. Kashanian was a volunteer at Habitats for Humanity. Kashanian came to the US in 1978 on a student visa and unsuccessfully applied for asylum based on her father's support of the brutal Shah of Iran, a US-installed satrap whose notorious secret police (SAVAK) tortured dissidents and 'disappeared' thousands of people. What happens next for Kashanian's legal status is still being worked out. Link: Steve Scalise Webpage