Reps Ansari, Min: "The implication by this administration that Iranian Americans are more likely to engage in terrorism or criminal activity is absurd, false, and outrageous"
Washington, D.C. — Today, Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Dave Min (CA-47) demanded answers from the Trump administration on their unlawful targeting of the Iranian community. In the past months, law-abiding Iranian Americans have been systematically targeted by DHS and ICE, not out of concern for public safety, but to fill arbitrary deportation quotas. The Representatives sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding oversight and answers on the basis of their unlawful and discriminatory policy.
The Representatives wrote, “The implication by this administration that Iranian Americans are more likely to engage in terrorism or criminal activity is absurd, false, and outrageous. Iranian Americans, like other proud and patriotic members of our communities, often bring with them stories of resilience. In the case of many Iranians, they fled a repressive, theocratic regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran in search of freedom and opportunity. Regardless, no group of people in this country should be targeted for their country of origin, their faith, or the color of their skin”
They continued, writing, “The statistics don’t lie – DHS and ICE are casting an overly broad net to sweep up individuals with no criminal history or record, including long-residing community members, under the guise of “public safety.”[…] Rather than focus on individuals who pose genuine threats to our communities, your Department appears to be filling arbitrary deportation quotes by apparently systematically targeting Iranian Americans, regardless of their immigration status, their time spent in the United States, or any other relevant factors. Your officers are, in essence, targeting already traumatized individuals who have escaped religious or political persecution and shattering the hope these individuals have for attaining the American dream.”
The Representatives finished, “Most concerningly, DHS is terrorizing those who have followed the legal asylum pathway to enter the U.S. Applying for asylum, especially given the very real threats that many Iranians may face in their home country, is difficult. It requires extensive vetting by several layers of our government that can sometimes take several years to resolve. […] Unjustly denying legitimate asylum claims will make it exponentially more difficult for these individuals to find a third country that will accept them, which threatens their continued safety. Many of these Iranians held by ICE would likely face “a vastly increased danger of persecution” if they were to be deported to Iran because of “changed conditions [in the country]”, and could be imprisoned, tortured, or executed.”
The full letter is available here.
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