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UPDATE, 6:22 pm: The six Democratic members of the Oregon congressional delegation have written a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, asking him for a waiver on the travel ban for four-month-old Iranian baby Fatemah Reshad and her parents.
"Whether Fatemah and her family are allowed access to this urgent and necessary medical care in the United States will determine whether she lives or dies," the officials write.
The letter is signed by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader.
Original post, 2:49 pm: U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) spoke on the floor of Congress this morning decrying the travel ban issued by President Donald Trump, and its effect on an Iranian baby girl who was set to fly to Portland for a heart surgery.
As reported by Willamette Week's news parter KATU-TV, the girl, named Fatemah, has a heart condition, and needs surgery immediately. The baby's uncle Samad Taghizadeh lives in Portland with her grandparents, who are American citizens. She needs to come to the U.S. for a surgery scheduled for Feb. 5, as the hospitals in Iran don't have the necessary equipment.
On Jan. 27, Fatemah and her mother traveled to Dubai, but were not able to make their connecting flight to the United States before Trump issued his executive order. The order blocks people from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States for 90 days, and halting the arrival of any refugees for 120 days.
Related: A Syrian refugee family arrives in Portland just before the door slams shut.
Bonamici spoke to the House floor this morning, putting a human face to the consequences of Trump's executive order. She also said that Fatemah's family doesn't know if she'll be able to wait 90 days for the executive order to end.
Here's what she said:
She continued: