In a surprising turn of events, Pouria Amirshahi, a member of the French National Assembly and part of the Green party, has voiced his discontent following the denial of his U.S. visa application. The lawmaker had aspirations to visit key American cities such as Washington D.C., New York, and Boston to engage in discussions with progressive lawmakers and intellectual thinkers about the sociopolitical landscape shaped by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Amirshahi, who recently founded a coalition of leftist and centrist legislators dubbed La Digue (The Dike), intended for this trip to be the first of its kind to foster discussions aimed at addressing the perceived rise of neo-fascism within liberal democracies. At a press conference held in Paris, he communicated his hope to not only meet with allies like Senator Peter Welch and Representative Maxine Dexter but also to gain insights from activists, journalists, and academics regarding living conditions under the current U.S. administration.

Upon receiving notification of his visa rejection, Amirshahi expressed disappointment, describing the response from American authorities as “hostile and unfriendly.” He remarked that the abruptness of the decision took him and his team by surprise. Meanwhile, a member of his team indicated that U.S. embassy officials were reconsidering the reasons behind the visa denial, leaving open the possibility for Amirshahi’s intended discussions to still take place.