On July 15, 2025, NIAC sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressing the contradiction between the administration’s warnings against travel to Iran and its restrictive visa policies, particularly the June 2025 travel ban on Iranian nationals. NIAC emphasizes that while it supports educating the community on the risks of travel to Iran, especially the threat of politically motivated arrests, the administration’s visa restrictions leave Iranian Americans with no alternative but to travel to Iran to maintain family connections.
The letter also raises alarm over the recent escalation of detentions of Iranians in the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), particularly in the wake of recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran. NIAC underscores that these harsh enforcement actions – often targeting individuals with no criminal record or credible threat – have generated fear and undermined confidence that the administration is acting in the interest of the community’s safety and security.
As stated in the letter:
“If the administration views travel to Iran as a risk to the well-being of Americans, it should implement policies to enable safe alternatives for citizens to reconnect with their parents, grandparents, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and all manner of relations.”
The full letter is included below: