Friday, April 6, 2018

Christians Denied

A terminal wait: Religious minorities targeted in Iran find the welcome mat yanked also by the United States
Excerpt: The United States invited the asylum-seekers to apply to enter the United States as refugees under the Lautenberg Amendment—a 1990 law primarily to assist Jews from the former Soviet Union that was expanded in 2004 to include Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslims living under Iran’s Islamic regime. The cases involve about 100 mostly Assyrian or Armenian Christians, a group the Trump administration repeatedly has said it aims to help gain U.S. admission despite new and more restrictive refugee protocols. The Iranian group includes other non-Muslims: Zoroastrians, Mandeans, Jews, and others. They arrived in Vienna more than a year ago, where Lautenberg Amendment cases are typically processed within a few months. Most have had no word on their status for the past year, and their Austrian visas have expired. On Feb. 19 about 80 asylum-seekers were shocked to learn they had been denied. Others learned their cases remain “under investigation,” but none apparently has yet to gain clearance for U.S. entry.

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