Fereshteh Ganjavi stood next to Sen. Chris Murphy as he boycotted President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. Ganjavi joined Murphy at a counter event near his offices on Capitol Hill.
Ganjavi looked at the crowd, remembering what her late father once told her, minutes before she spoke.
“Look at American girls,” Ganjavi said. “They can do everything. Why you cannot do it?”
Ganjavi, who is originally from Afghanistan, is the founder of Elena’s Light, an immigration advocacy organization based in New Haven.
Ganjavi was Sen. Murphy’s guest for the State of the Union. She said her appearance countered Trump’s immigration enforcement policy claims he made during his speech.
Murphy said he invited Ganjavi to the address because of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
“That’s why I’m bringing Fereshteh: after coming to this country, she used her experience to support other refugees and has stood on the frontlines against Trump’s terror campaign on immigrant families,” Murphy said.
During the address, Trump highlighted his administration’s achievements. He claimed fuel prices have dropped, and said his administration has deported dangerous undocumented immigrants, among others.
Murphy and other democratic leaders criticized Trump’s address, stating it ignored widespread civil rights abuses perpetrated by federal deportation efforts in cities across the United States, and growing corruption in the federal government.
Murphy, and other Connecticut elected officials from Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Richard Blumenthal to Governor Ned Lamont criticized Trump’s address, citing ongoing economic struggles for working families.
But Connecticut Republicans praised Trump’s remarks.
Connecticut Republican Party Chair Ben Proto released a statement saying Trump’s address was about recovery and renewal.
“After years of Democrat mismanagement which brought about rising costs, economic uncertainty, and weakened standing abroad, the state of our union is once again strong, America is strong because we have a president who understands that prosperity begins with the American worker, the American family and the American taxpayer,” Proto said.
While the economy is top of mind for many Americans, Ganjavi who is an Afghan refugee says, she can’t help but notice how federal immigration policies are affecting her clients and those around her.
“Mothers have called me asking is it safe to go to my child's appointment,” Ganjavi said. “Women have asked if they should cancel English classes. Afghan families and many immigrant families are confused about their legal status and afraid to travel for work, even within their own states.”
