08/31/2026
We are so thrilled that Dr. Dashti is finally back home where she belongs. She was able to re-enter Maine on Friday, August 21, after being stranded in Canada for four months.
As you may know, Dr. Dashti traveled into Canada in early April as part of an effort to get her Maine driver’s license renewed. The DMV records were not updated with her extended visa and authorization to stay in the country; therefore in an attempt to have her passport stamped with the updated status and subsequently receive a new driver’s license, she went across the border and presented to see the border patrol office.
What was anticipated to be just a few minutes in Canada as part of bureaucratic process turned into 19 weeks of trying to get back home. After being questioned for 10 hours, she was deemed “inadmissible” to the country by US Customs and Border Protection. She was never told why, but the assumption is that it had to do with the fact that her country of origin is Iran.
The unexplained causes and uncertainties of her situation were incredibly stressful for her and her family. It was also a time of anxiety for her patients and co-workers.
“From the very beginning, I was fortunate to have the support of the management and staff at the hospital, as well as a few others who knew about the situation my family and I were in. However, when the news of the complaint broke in the media, I was deeply moved and showered by caring, heartwarming and supporting messages from people in the community; support that helped my broken heart,” says Dr. Dashti.
Welcome home, Dr. Dashti!
