January 20, 2021 IABA welcomes and applauds the reversal of Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 (also known as the Travel, Muslim, and African bans) announced by the new Biden administration today. Over the past four years, this discriminatory Ban has upended the lives of many and has caused unbelievable hardships, whether by way of separating […]
The Iranian American Bar Association (IABA) condemns the flagrant violation of George Floyd’s fundamental and constitutional rights, resulting in his brutal killing.
Mr. Floyd’s tragic death took place while in police custody, handcuffed behind his back and lying on his stomach, as one Minnesota police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes and three other officers assisted in the arrest. The officers in question did not refrain from, or intervene in, the egregious and excessive use of force despite Mr. Floyd’s and bystanders’ pleas that he could not breathe. As a result of the incident, all four individuals have been fired from the police department, and one of the four has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
As we know all too well, this senseless death is not an isolated incident. Mr. Floyd’s death, like the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, represent a historical and systemic pattern of violence against the African American community in this country.
Under our system of laws, the pursuit of life and liberty – and the right to remain free from unreasonable searches and seizures – are enshrined in our Constitution. But at its core, our system of laws promises a more fundamental principal: equality before the law. That promise was not fulfilled to Mr. Floyd, and it cannot be fulfilled in the face of systemic injustices against any minority community. In the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The devastation of Mr. Floyd’s rights are a blow to, and loss of, all of our fundamental rights.
As Iranian Americans, and lawyers, we understand this is not mere philosophy. The injustices against one minority community are easily turned against any other community. While our experiences cannot be compared with that of the African American community, and while we cannot understand the full depth of their pain, we can – and do – stand in solidarity with the Black community, call for justice under the law, and call for accountability for all of the ex-police officers involved in George Floyd’s heartbreaking death.
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Iranian-American Community Advisory: Know Your Rights at the Airport and the Border Updated March 2019 Download the full document
Summer Six Series The Iranian-American Bar Association (IABA) is heartbroken to hear that some students’ summer or post-graduation jobs have been impacted by COVID-19. We are all a family and we are here to help. That is why the Northern California Chapter of the IABA has set up a series of six summer workshops (the “Summer Six”) with […]
May 1, 2020 After weeks of calling for the release of Dr. Sirous Asgari from civil immigration detention, we are deeply distressed to learn that he has contracted COVID-19 while held in detention. Given his extreme medical vulnerability to the virus, we urge Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately release Dr. Asgari to a medical facility so he can […]
On April 22, 2020, President Trump issued a new presidential proclamation (“Proclamation”) temporarily suspending the entry of particular categories of immigrants into the United States (“U.S.”). The Proclamation will be effective for 60 days starting at 11:59 pm on April 23, 2020 and can be extended. The purported basis for the new Proclamation is the […]
April 13, 2020 We, the undersigned organizations, call on Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately release Dr. Sirous Asgari to the care of his family, as he is unjustly detained in a civil immigration detention center in Louisiana and his detainment has placed his health at serious risk. In addition to litigation underway on his […]
IABA Condemns COVID-19 Based Discrimination & Attacks The Iranian American Bar Association (IABA) condemns the discriminatory rhetoric and racist attacks against the Asian Pacific American (APA) community in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Amid the rising public fear about the COVID-19 pandemic, there are alarming reports of misinformation across the country and […]
The current concerns for the spread of the COVID-19, known commonly as the novel coronavirus, have left many individuals — in particular those returning to the United States after international travel — with questions about their rights upon arriving at the U.S. border. There are several countries that have been categorized by the Center for […]
IABA Statement on Travel Ban Expansion Dear IABA Members and Supporters, This week marked the third anniversary of President Trump’s Travel Ban. It marked the third year that Iranian-Americans have been separated from our families for no reason other than nationality and religious beliefs. For three years, we have heard heartbreaking stories of children separated […]