Washington, D.C. – The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) issued the following statement applauding a recent order from a federal judge that the Trump administration must resume processing for the immigration applications of 83 individuals from travel ban-designated countries and asylees:
“The shutdown of USCIS processing for virtually all immigration applications affecting individuals from travel ban-targeted countries and asylees has devastated lives. Families who followed every legal requirement, who spent years working toward citizenship or permanent residency, now find those efforts abruptly halted, leaving them in indefinite limbo. NIAC applauds the recent federal judge’s order that for these 83 plaintiffs, the administration must resume processing their visas; reiterates previous calls for the policy to be repealed; and supports congressional and litigation efforts to mitigate its harmful impacts and undo the ban.
“Our organization has been fielding calls for help for months from Iranians whose lives are in ruin from this disastrous halt on application processing. People who have spent years of their life building a path to legal permanent residency here are now having the door shut on them. Citizenship ceremonies, weddings and educational futures have been cancelled – and thousands of Iranians are now trapped between the lives they’ve tried to build here, and a war back home.
“A recent court ruling offered relief to 83 plaintiffs who were able to challenge this policy, saying the Trump administration must move forward on processing their green card applications. But that relief is limited to just the 83 individuals who had the resources and legal team to fight for what should be a given. Hundreds of thousands more remain trapped in the same uncertainty, unable to access the same recourse without a policy reversal.
“This application review shutdown never should have been implemented in the first place. It is rooted in a discriminatory country-of-origin rationale that mirrors the same logic of the illegal travel ban.
“NIAC has been actively working to support impacted Iranians by connecting individuals to FAQ information about this action, litigation opportunities and legal resources. Every week, we hear from members of our community whose years of effort toward lawful status have been erased by the Trump administration’s halt on immigration.
“We call for the full repeal of this policy and support continued legal challenges that will bring relief to those impacted. At a moment when many Iranians are navigating the consequences of war in their home country, they should not also face a parallel assault on their rights here in the United States.”
For support and resources, visit: https://niacouncil.org/travelban
To be connected to individual Iranians experiencing the real world harms of this policy and willing to speak to the media, please reach out to [email protected].
Information regarding one upcoming class action opportunity is available here, and NIAC will share more as they become available for community awareness.