An Iranian Christian, having fled severe religious persecution in her homeland, now witnesses unsettling parallels between the repressive regime she escaped and the current US immigration enforcement actions impacting fellow Iranian Christians seeking asylum. The chilling echoes of Tehran’s oppression are starkly evident in the treatment of vulnerable asylum seekers within American borders.
Having endured house arrest for two years in Iran due to her work smuggling Bibles, this individual found refuge and true religious freedom in the United States, a nation she proudly embraces as her adopted home. Her personal journey underscores the profound value of sanctuary and the promise of a life free from state-sanctioned religious persecution.
Despite her deep gratitude and citizenship, she expresses profound dismay at how her own government is now treating members of her Farsi-speaking evangelical congregation in Los Angeles. Masked officers have detained these individuals, separating families and issuing deportation threats to a country where their Christian faith could lead to their death, thereby undermining fundamental principles of human rights advocacy.
Recent weeks have seen two families from her church, including a couple with their three-year-old daughter, detained by US immigration enforcement. These families were actively seeking asylum, fearing fatal persecution upon return to Iran, yet found themselves arrested during a court hearing and subsequently held in distant detention centers in South Texas and California, highlighting the harsh realities of current immigration policy.
The circumstances of these asylum seekers contrast sharply with earlier pathways to refuge, such as the humanitarian parole previously available via the CBP One app. However, a significant shift in immigration policy, including the suspension of refugee resettlement and the termination of humanitarian parole, has left many vulnerable, some receiving menacing letters demanding self-deportation despite pending asylum applications.
The pervasive fear within the Iranian Christian community is palpable; many are terrified of detention and deportation back to Iran, where they face potential execution for their faith. This apprehension has led to job losses for some, either due to their reluctance to leave home or the abrupt termination of work authorizations linked to their humanitarian parole, intensifying the impact of current US immigration enforcement.
The author firmly believes that America must uphold its ideals of justice and compassion, asserting that these enforcement actions are not reflective of the nation’s true character. She highlights that a significant portion of evangelical Christians, many of whom voted for the previous administration with the expectation of protecting persecuted Christians, now express strong support for receiving refugees and exercising mercy, contradicting the prevailing immigration policy.
Despite widespread support for compassion, recent legislative efforts have dramatically increased funding for immigrant detention and deportation. This aggressive stance, coupled with previous administrative directives targeting anyone deemed unlawfully present—even those whose lawful status was abruptly canceled—disproportionately affects Christians, with studies indicating that a vast majority of those vulnerable to deportation share this faith, putting their lives at risk, a critical concern for religious freedom and human rights advocacy.
The author concludes with a heartfelt plea for a reversal of these stringent policies, urging focus on genuine public safety threats while extending mercy to those who have fled persecution for their faith. She implores Congress to enact meaningful immigration policy reforms that would halt the horrifying detentions and deportations, ensuring America lives up to its promise as a haven for asylum seekers.
