Iranian American Rights Project
For far too long, Iranian Americans have been subject to alienation and discriminatory policies here at home in the United States – from persistent negative portrayals of Iranians in American popular culture, to bigoted statements about us from our elected officials, to laws that unjustly target Iranian Americans because of our country of heritage. NIAC’s Iranian-American Rights Project aims to research and document demonization and discrimination and to reverse the policies and practices that undermine our community’s rights. Learn more below and find out how you can help take action or get help if you have faced discrimination.
Banking while Iranian American
Financial institutions subject Iranian Americans to barriers and added scrutiny because of our heritage. Under the auspices of enforcing sanctions, bank accounts of Iranian Americans are closed without warning, routine transactions are held up for increased review, and some banks even refuse Iranian customers. This disruptive and discriminatory targeting of our community is unacceptable.
Read Our Memo: Ending Discriminatory Bank Account Closures
Related Articles
NIAC Hosts Expert Panel “Protecting Against Discriminatory Bank Account Closures”
On September 8th, 2022, we hosted a panel of banking and sanctions experts discussing why Iranian Americans and Iranian nationals are being unfairly targeted by banks and the over enforcement of sanctions. You can read all about it and watch the recording here.
Class Action Lawsuit Against Bank of America Moves Forward
A class action lawsuit targeting Bank of America’s discriminatory practices against persons of Iranian descent has been upheld by the Honorable Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California, allowing the class action to advance to the next stage of the legal process.
Steps Iranians Can Take to Avoid Unwarranted Bank Account Closures
Recently, there have been increasing numbers of cases in which US banks, citing US sanctions on Iran, have either closed or restricted the accounts of both Iranians based in the US and Iranian Americans who travel to Iran. NIAC has and will continue to work with banks and the US government to fully resolve this issue.
Have you experienced discrimination from a financial institution?
Sending mail to Iran
Iranian Americans have struggled to be able to send gifts and other items to family members and friends in Iran. NIAC has received many reports from individuals who have had lawful shipments to Iran turned away by the U.S. Postal Service and works to help our community overcome such obstacles while forging a lasting solution with the relevant U.S. agencies.
Do you have questions or face hurdles sending mail to Iran?
Travel and Immigration
From legislation that continues to bar persons of Iranian descent from the Visa Waiver Program, to extreme vetting and travel bans, to visa backlogs that separate families, Iranian Americans’ and their family’s right to travel have been curtailed and must be restored and protected.
Do you have questions or have you experienced discrimination related to travel or immigration?
Othering Iranians
The systematic demonization of Iran, and by extension Iranian people and those of Iranian heritage, is so prevalent in U.S. political discourse that it permeates American society and popular culture as well. This process has not only led to the dehumanization of an entire group of people, but it also informs U.S. policy positions on Iran.
Read the report: Othering Iran: How Dehumanization of Iranians Undermines Rights at Home
Watch: Othering Iran Panel Discussion with Yara Elmjouie, Niaz Kasravi, John Ghazvinian, Neda Maghbouleh and Assal Rad
Related article: How ‘othering’ Iranians leads to bad policy
Employment Discrimination
Sanctions and other national security policies have been cited by employers, including the federal government, to deny or undermine Iranian Americans from obtaining certain employment opportunities.