Mr. Grievances
Title: Mr. Grievances
Story: The story of Hossein Batooie.
Date: May 2026
Technique: Huile sur toile
Dimensions: 92 x 120 cm
On the same day the United States and Israel bombed Iran, five federal agents entered the residence of Hossein Battoie in Denver, Colorado. The agents attacked and detained him, refusing to name what agency they were with. He was transported to the USCIS office in the city and when he arrived he noticed there were approximately eight to nine other Iranian people who had been detained.
Eleven years prior, in 2004, Hossein Batooie was granted legal status by an immigration judge after seeking asylum. Although told that ICE had no reason to hold him and that he would be let go, he found himself at the Geo Detention Center in Aurora for 10 months. There, he endured horrific conditions at the hands of the United States government.
