In 2019, Artemis Ghasemzadeh began her transition from Islam to Christianity, a process that culminated in her baptism three years later. Her conversion was an underground affair, facilitated through secret online classes and clandestine church gatherings in Iran. The change was significant and life-altering, but it was also extremely perilous. Under Iran’s Shariah laws, leaving Islam for another religion is considered blasphemy, punishable by death.

Ghasemzadeh, along with others in her Bible study group, faced the constant threat of arrest. It was this imminent danger that led her to make the decision to leave Iran in December and seek refuge in the United States. Despite her knowledge of President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, she believed her Christian status and the fact that she was not a criminal would spare her from deportation.

She traveled from Iran to Abu Dhabi, then South Korea, and finally Mexico City, where she and her brother encountered a smuggler who helped them reach Tijuana. The pair attempted to cross the border on foot under the guidance of the smuggler, who instructed them to scale the border wall into the United States.

Upon arrival on American soil, Ghasemzadeh was overwhelmed with emotion, believing they had successfully reached safety. However, her relief was short-lived; she and her brother were swiftly apprehended by border agents, detained, and separated. Despite Ghasemzadeh’s attempts to explain her situation and her fear of returning to Iran as a Christian, the authorities claimed she did not express fear of returning to her home country during processing.

Without an opportunity to present her asylum claim, Ghasemzadeh was deported to Panama on her 27th birthday. In Panama, she joined nine other Iranian Christian converts in a detention camp near the Darién jungle, where conditions were harsh and medical care was inadequate. The group, including children, faces an uncertain future, with their asylum claims unheard and the threat of being sent back to Iran ever-present.

An Iranian-American human rights lawyer, Ali Herschi, is working pro bono to prevent their deportation to Iran and appeal to the United States authorities for their humanitarian re-entry. In the meantime, Ghasemzadeh finds solace in Christian texts and prayer, holding onto hope for a future free from fear and persecution.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/world/middleeast/this-christian-convert-fled-iran-and-ran-into-trumps-deportation-policy.html