FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shayan Modarres
Phone: 202-780-9590
Email: [email protected]
Washington, D.C. – Shayan Modarres, Legal Counsel for the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement following the Trump administration’s adoption of new criteria to be applied to nationals included in the Muslim Ban:
Back to top“President Trump’s pathological pursuit of the Muslim Ban has reached a new low by targeting grandparents of American children.
“The Supreme Court ordered that Trump’s travel ban could go forward – but could not apply to people who have a ‘bona fide relationship‘ with an American. In response, the Trump administration has released a directive that establishes the categories of relationships that are not permitted visas: grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, fiancées and other extended family members.
“There are one million Iranian Americans in the United States and many cannot return home to visit loved ones. President Trump’s directive might as well pull children out of the arms of their grandparents who will no longer be able to visit for the sole reason that they are Iranian.
“The president is supposed to protect American families, not rip them apart.
“The White House must cease these discriminatory policies. Congress must hold hearings and choose to do the right thing and rescind this ban.
“This inhumane ban does nothing to add to America’s security. It only creates divisions by turning some Americans into second-class citizens simply because of their ancestry.”
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