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Epilogue

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Staff

The end of a long ordeal

For more than two and a half years, Carrboro artist Sima Fallahi has lived in limbo. The Iranian-born Fallahi, a painter who often sold her watercolors at local arts events and shows, was arrested Nov. 29, 2006 after a background check for a vendor permit in Chapel Hill revealed she was being sought for an immigration violation.

That quickly led to her arrest. She was subsequently turned over to federal authorities and transported to the Mecklenburg County jail, where she waited to be taken to immigration court in Atlanta for a hearing. Like many immigrants in her position, it was a while before her daughter, Lelia, who was 11 years old at the time, even knew where she was.

After intense lobbying from supporters, including state, federal and local elected officials, religious leaders and the Carrboro Community Garden Club, Fallahi, who said she would likely face a harsh response if forcibly returned to Iran, was granted a new hearing and released from federal detention on March 6, 2007.

This week, after continued lobbying and many thousands of dollars in legal fees, Judge Wayne Houser canceled the order of removal that would have required her to be deported, a move that grants her permanent residence in the United States. An extensive review of Fallahi’s case along with letters of support and details of her detention and the efforts to win her release are available at carrboro.com/sima

— Kirk Ross

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