Deportations and Detentions of Iranians: What We Know and What Congress Can Do
CBP has been discriminating against individuals on the basis of their Iranian and Middle Eastern heritage, resulting in outrageous screening for U.S. citizens and green card holders, as well as deportations of Iranian students with valid visas. Reports indicate that hundreds of Iranian Americans and green card holders were held for secondary questioning at ports of entry and airports solely on the basis of their national heritage in January 2020.
NIAC Statement on Discriminatory Order Issued to Customs and Border Patrol
Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), issued the following statement on the publication of what appears to be the discriminatory order issued by the Seattle Field Office to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Officers which resulted in the outrageous and discriminatory detention of individuals of Iranian heritage.
NIAC Statement on DHS Investigation into Detentions of Iranian Americans at U.S. Ports of Entry
“On Sunday, January 5, the National Iranian American Council requested that the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties open an investigation into the detainment and questioning of Iranian Americans at the U.S. ports of entry. We are pleased that the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has opened an investigation into CBP’s potential discriminatory targeting of Iranian Americans at the border following our formal complaint. We will be working to ensure that the investigation is thorough, timely and results in the halt of this discriminatory treatment targeting our community. Detaining individuals on the basis of their national origin is illegal, and the Iranian-American community will not stand for such outrageous and discriminatory treatment.