Iranian Sociologist’s Dying Wish to Join His Family - Rejected by the U.S.

"A dying Iranian sociologist has been trying desperately to come to the U.S. in order to be with his family and receive potentially life-saving cancer treatment.  The U.S. has just given the family its final answer: No. ... The government “just doesn’t have to tell us anything,” said Denyse Sabagh, an immigration lawyer who specializes in national security cases and represents Sarvestani.  “It’s always hard to know which agency is driving the denial.”  Sarvestani applied for the visa in 2003, and has been in limbo for the last nine years.  After the 9/11 attacks, the visa process became more protracted, according to immigration experts.  Sarvestani says that he received no indication of the security concerns when his initial application was approved or during the years of waiting." - Cora Currier, ProPublica, Dec. 13, 2012.