"A lot of the work that I'm hoping to do is about pointing people toward the organizers and the people on the front lines of this (Black Lives Matter) movement." -Kaitlyn Greenidge, Elle 7/16/20

Nastaran Tebyanian, a Penn State Stuckeman School doctoral candidate in architecture with a focus on landscape architecture, recently won a Scientific Merit Award from the Journal of Digital Architecture for her article titled "Application of Machine Learning for Urban Landscape Design: A Primer for Landscape Architects." -Pennsylvania State University 7/14/20

Writer and curator Sohrab Mohebbi has been named curator of the Carnegie International's 58th edition, set to open in 2022. Mohebbi, who is thirty-nine and grew up in Iran, is the first Western Asian person to helm the contemporary art survey in its 124-year history -Art Forum 7/9/20

On Thursday July 16 at 6 pm PT, a program entitled Finding Truths and Creating Art in Exile features Award-winning playwrights Iranian-American Sholeh Wolpe and Iranian Nassim Soleimanpour. Soleimanpour's most recent play Nassim will be performed in The Broad Stage 2020/21 season in April 2021. -Broadway World 7/9/20

As the pandemic continues to cause unprecedented trauma and profound financial hardship, Pars Equality Center (Pars) strives to support the community through various initiatives. Thanks to the generosity of private donors, philanthropic foundations and government grants, Pars offers the following assistance to qualified individuals and households. 7/3/20

Written over a period of more than 10 years, Porochista Khakpour's collection of essays, Brown Album, is a reckoning with what it means to be an Iranian in America today. An acclaimed novelist, Porochista Khakpour launched onto the literary scene with her novels Sons and Other Flammable Objects (2007) and The Last Illusion (2014). -Iman Sultan, Middle East Eye 7/2/20

Sogand Tabatabaei, a young artist and a Master of Fine Arts student at the University of Nevada, Reno, has been living all by herself during the entire lockdown, away from her husband and parents, who are in Iran. During this period, she has created art that reflects some of the anxieties and uncertainties she has been feeling. 7/2/20

A conversation on racial justice with panelists Abdi Soltani, Executive Director of the ACLUNC, Mitra Jalali, St. Paul City Councilwoman, Tehran Von Ghasri, comedian and activist, and Cyrus Mehri, civil rights attorney. The conversation will be moderated by media anchor, reporter, and producer, Shirley Jahad. -PAAIA 6/26/20

I work as the executive director of a civil rights organization, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. I am calling on Iranian-Americans to speak up and take action vigorously to support the Black community in the United States. -Abdi Soltani, PAAIA 6/22/20

'Out in the Diaspora' (Zoom event on June 20th) builds representation for future generations. The reading hosted by San Francisco State University's Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies and Diaspora Arts Connection will be followed by a dance-focused component on June 25. The Center's chair, Persis Karim, will moderate a conversation with designer Hushidar Mortezaie and choreographer Shireen Rahimi before a joint performance. -SF Examiner 6/19/20

Hooman Mehdizadehjafari has been selected for the City View Park public art commission. Mehdizadehjafari's artwork, Soar, will be installed in front of the new pavilion being constructed at City View Park. Creator of Hoomanart is an award-winning Iranian-Canadian visual artist and designer based in Vancouver, Canada. - 6/18/20

The Iranian-born New Zealand MP describes a 'central heartbreak' of being a migrant child in this exclusive extract from her book Know Your Place -Guardian 6/15/20

Born in Iran and raised in the United States, Hadieh Shafie is fascinated with reimagining the book form. She is also interested in drawing textual forms and exploring the emotive power of color, as well as "looking at new modes of collapsing the space between what is drawing and sculpture." Shafie's works have been collected by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, among others. In October 2019, her work "Transition 7″ was included in Christie's Middle Eastern Modern & Contemporary Art auction -Omid Memarian, Global Voices 6/10/20

Join our virtual conversation with leading Iranian-American women building political power on Thursday, June 11 at 5-6pm PST. We will be featuring Yassamin Ansari, candidate for Phoenix City Council, Shireen Ghorbani, Salt Lake County Council Member, and Nilofar Ganjaie, moderator and NIAC Action Board Member. -NIAC Action 6/8/20

The Iranian revolution of 1979 was a watershed moment in global history, but also created a massive upheaval in the lives of Iranians, many of which left their native country in its aftermath. Despite the caricatured images of the Middle East and Iran in the United States, Iran is home to a diverse population of varied peoples and stories. As such, Iranians who have immigrated to the U.S. over the course of several decades, reflect a wide-range of experiences. -NIAC 6/3/20

Not many Goldman Sachs partners seek out citizenship in a tiny Caribbean island to speed through airports. Ali Meli wasn't your typical Goldman partner. Couch-surfing inside the investment bank, an almost $US10 million ($15 million) pay cheque as a junior trader and clashing with peers are all parts of the legend of Meli, described by colleagues as an unlikely figure in Wall Street's most elite club: Abrasive but brilliant, subversive but successful, and above all one of its most "eccentric" figures. -Sridhar Natarajan, Bloomberg 6/1/20

A couple weeks ago, my friend sent me a TikTok of someone ranting about whether they should be considered a person of color as a Middle Easterner. Her text read something along the lines of, "I feel like this is you in a nutshell." I laughed, knowing full well that I've shared the same gripes with her countless times. I also instinctively looked over at the U.S. census postcard collecting dust and cat hair on the floor of my foyer and cringed. -Nicki Ghafari, Huffington Post 5/27/20

New York-based Khakpour is the author of two novels, Sons and Other Flammable Objects (2007) and The Last Illusion (2014), and a memoir about illness, Sick (2014). Brown Album brings together a number of her autobiographical essays about being an Iranian American in the 21st century, which first appeared in publications such as the New York Times and Salon. They tell a fairly typical first-generation immigrant story of identity confusion and gradual self-discovery. -Houman Barekat, Guardian 5/22/20

My friend Shahin Shahablou, who has died of coronavirus aged 56, was a photographer and teacher born in Tehran, who moved to the UK in 2011. He was 15 years old in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution profoundly changed Iranian society, and his life was inevitably caught up in the dramatic events of his country. -David Gleeson, Guardian 5/6/20

THE SHAMELIS ARE an extraordinarily tight-knit Iranian family. Forty-year-old Amin, the eldest of five brothers, first arrived in California in 2003, and was followed slowly but surely by his parents and siblings. All of them, that is, except for Masoud, who for a decade now has been trying to join the rest of his family in the United States. The situation had been looking hopeful, until the global coronavirus pandemic and a couple strokes of the U.S. president's pen blew it all up. -Felipe De La Hoz, Intercept 4/30/20

Rocking Dior calfskin trainers, diamond-encrusted Cartier glasses and a chain with a bedazzled "A" logo pendant, it is hard to distinguish Abtin Abassi from the blinged-out clientele at the launch of his new flagship store. Influencers, rappers, ex-Love Islanders; all gathered at A Jewelers in London to celebrate its launch in February. Camden mayor Maryam Eslamdoust was present to cut the ribbon, and his ruffled livery collar wasn't even the most ostentatious adornment in the room. -Vice 4/27/20 4/27/20

Actress and Comedian Tara Grammy has made a name for herself drawing form her Iranian heritage for her roles, including her latest film, A Simple Wedding. But because she was born in Iran, and grew up in Canada, she didn't realize she could count in the U.S. census. -Spectrum News 4/16/20

PAAIA and a coalition of Iranian American organizations have come together to campaign for the release of Dr. Sirous Asgari from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Dr. Asgari is currently unjustly detained in a civil immigration detention center in Louisiana, which has put his health at serious risk amidst the likelihood of COVID-19 exposure. 4/13/20

Iran is one of the nations hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the country continues to struggle to contain the devastating pandemic, many in our community are asking what is being done and what they can do to help. Join us this Thursday, April 9th at 8 pm EST for an interactive webinar to hear from leading experts about the challenges and proposed solutions to battle COVID-19 in Iran. 4/8/20

The bright lights of Las Vegas' Strip may have gone dark, but art remains a beacon of light in Sin City. As the city is placed under a 30-day lockdown for entertainment and all non-essential businesses due to the global pandemic, a public art installation, ONE by Iranian-American artist and refugee Nanda Sharif-pour, uses art to inspire kindness, reflection, equality and unity during these times of global political and social unrest. -ArtfixDaily 4/3/20

Embattled lender Metro Bank has been hit with a fresh lawsuit by a group of Iranian customers who say their accounts were unfairly suspended without notice or explanation. The group of 17 claimants, who are expected to seek at least 1.5m pounds in damages, include dual British-Iranian citizens, Iranian citizens living in the UK and several UK-based businesses including an engineering firm and a consultancy. -Guardian 3/17/20

On February 29, 2020, President Trump signed a new Presidential Proclamation restricting the entry of individuals who have traveled to Iran in attempts to stymie the spread of the Coronavirus in the United States. These new restrictions go beyond the President's Muslim Ban and will further limit the entry of Iranians into the U.S. The Proclamation adds Iran onto a previous proclamation restricting travel to the United States from China and was put into effect on March 2nd at 5 P.M. EST. -NIAC 3/6/20

The Iran I know and the Iran I see in the news have been stubborn puzzle pieces that simply refuse to fit together. The Iran I know is reaching under a bed for my grandfather's cane in Ahvaz at the age of four, one year before his death. The Iran I know is on the balcony of my mother's childhood home in Shiraz, sleeping under the stars with cousins in 2002. The Iran I know is jumping over beach bonfires late into the night for Nowruz, the Persian New Year. -Ida Mojadad, SF Weekly 3/5/20

Today, the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) proudly announces its support for a new slate of Iranian American candidates running for federal, state, and local office. The latest list of endorsements includes Alan Khazei and Sima Ladjevardian for U.S. Congress, Kimi Abernathy for Tennessee State Senate, Ahsha Safai for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC), and Nima Rahimi for San Francisco DCCC. 3/4/20

Iranian-American model Megan Pormer, who made headlines after wearing a dress promoting peace between the US and Iran at the 2020 Grammys, is working with medical professionals and companies in Beverly Hills to send critical medicine and supplies to Iran. Over the past month, Iran has been ravaged by the coronavirus and the death toll continues to rise. -Clout 3/3/20

When Iranian-born Canadian citizen Farzad Alavi was denied entry to the U.S. on Jan. 10, he said a border officer told him the reason was his past mandatory military service in Iran - which the officer claimed effectively linked him with terrorists. "They're telling me I'm a member of a terrorist organization. It's very, very difficult for me to digest," said Alavi. -Sophia Harris, CBC News 3/2/20

"I've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you," US President Donald Trump said on Twitter in Farsi last month, presumably talking to the Iranian people. My reaction as an Iranian-American was one of sheer rage. This is a president who issued a ban targeting Iran and other Muslim countries, imposed devastating sanctions on the people of Iran, and threatened to bomb Iran's cultural sites. His administration has detained and deported Iranian students with valid visas, and treated Iranian-Americans, including US citizens, as suspects. -Azadeh Shahshahani, Middle East Eye 2/21/20

THE TRUTH about the death of Bijan Ghaisar, the young accountant shot to death by U.S. Park Police officers in 2017, has not become less true in the 26 months since he died. Ghaisar's killing was unwarranted, unjustified and unjust. That fact remains unchanged despite the meandering two-year FBI investigation, despite the Justice Department's gutless decision last year against prosecuting and despite the legal mumbo-jumbo now emanating from federal officials. -Editorial Board, Washington Post 2/20/20

Today, Pars Equality Center (Pars) announced its Write In Iranian campaign for the upcoming 2020 Census. Pars is partnering with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) in an effort to increase awareness among the Iranian American community about the importance of participating in the upcoming census. 2/19/20

Amid mounting tensions between the U.S. and Iran that have resulted in renewed discrimination of Iranian Americans, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) today launched Iranian Americans Are American to reaffirm that Iranian Americans are, first and foremost, American. This campaign launches as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) admitted to inappropriately targeting Iranian Americans and breaching agency protocol last month when they detained hundreds of Iranian Americans at the U.S.-Canadian border simply because of their national origin. 2/18/20

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said Tuesday that border officials in Washington state "got a little overzealous" when they detained Iranian and Iranian-American travelers at the U.S.-Canada border last month. As many as 200 people of Iranian descent were held up for as long as 12 hours as they crossed the border from Canada into Washington state the weekend of Jan. 5-6, following a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. -AP 2/12/20

I was born and raised in the United States to Iranian parents and, like many children of immigrants, grew up with a sense of alienation from my fellow Americans. Though raised in the most populace location of the Iranian diaspora in Southern California, my hyphenated identity seemed to be in conflict with itself as Iran was consistently vilified in U.S. media and politics. But rather than attempt to hide my identity, I became determined to move beyond the surface politics to understand more about Iran and, ultimately, to try to bridge the divide between my country of heritage and the country I called home. -Assal Rad, Common Dreams 2/11/20

Professor of cultural anthropology at UCI Roxanne Varzi is making her mark on the world of Iranian activism through her art and educational pursuits. In addition to being a UCI professor, Varzi is a writer, filmmaker and multimedia artist. Much of her work focuses on her Iranian identity and strives to educate others about Iranian culture and issues to break down the "Us versus Them" mentality that furthers the gap of understanding between cultures, most poignantly the U.S. and Iran. -Tatum Larsen, UC Irvine 2/9/20

PAAIA's first Iranian American Civic Engagement Forum of 2020 is being held on February 22nd at Stanford University, in collaboration with the Hamid & Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies at Stanford University and PARS Equality Center. PAAIA's Civic Engagement Initiative is a new program committed to encouraging and enabling Iranian Americans to get involved as concerned members of their communities, both nationally and locally. 2/6/20

Customs and Border Protection admitted to inappropriately targeting Iranian Americans and breaching agency protocol last month when travelers were held at the northern US border, according to lawmakers who met with government officials about the incident. Last month, reports surfaced that Iranian Americans were detained at the Blaine crossing in Washington state in the wake of the US killing of a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani. -Geneva Sands, CNN 2/6/20

Pars Equality Center's mission is to catalyze social, civic and economic integration of immigrants from Persian-speaking and other countries into American society. As a community-based social and legal services organization, Pars Equality Center is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to helping the Iranian-American and other Persian-speaking communities realize their full potential as informed, self-reliant, and responsible members of the American society. 2/5/20

Activist Hoda Katebi rarely takes a break from organizing. As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated in recent weeks, she became even busier. On a recent Sunday afternoon, the 25-year-old Iranian American sat in her Chicago apartment shifting between monitoring her Twitter feed, taking phone calls and texting via encrypted messaging: She and other organizers had word that an Iranian student was being detained at O'Hare International Airport. "This past week, I think I slept one night," she said. -PBS 2/4/20

The Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies recently expanded a scholarship fund supporting Iranian students amid the ongoing travel ban and sanctions against the country. Afshin Marashi, director of the Farzaneh Family Center, said the fund existed previously but was expanded after the existing fund was almost expended. The scholarship benefits international students from Iran who have been affected by travel restrictions implemented by the Trump administration. -Oklahoma Daily 2/4/20

Concordia's Iranian community shows us how art-making can help heal past trauma - Whether it's venting, crying or spending time with your loved ones, grief differs from person to person. Poetry, storytelling and painting are forms of art therapy healing that took place on Jan. 16 at Concordia's Art Hive event in efforts to heal together rather than apart. -Gabriele Zambito, The Concordian 2/4/20

Earlier this month Customs and Border Protection seized the iPhone of an active duty American soldier as they were transferring through a U.S. airport as part of their directed orders. After questioning, the CBP sent the iPhone to a lab for forensic analysis, according to the service member and a CBP document obtained by Motherboard. The soldier, an American citizen born in Iran, told Motherboard they believe the questioning and seizure was due to their Iranian heritage. -Joseph Cox, Vice 2/3/20

Diaspora Arts Connection (DAC) presents Niaz Nawab, Erwin Khachikian, and Rana Farhan Live in San Francisco on Friday, February 28, 2020. After successful performances in Canada, the trio will perform their songs with Karmandan and Steven Toub. Join us for an evening of music and community. 2/3/20

Graduate student Gheysar Jebelli* tries to avoid news stories about his home country, Iran. They upset him and distract him from his academic studies. But when his friend texted him on Jan. 8 that Iran had fired missiles at an Iraqi airbase housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the U.S.' assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, Jebelli became distressed. He kept his eyes glued to the headlines. Jebelli dreaded the worst: war. -Julian Roberts-Grmela, Spectrum, Univ of Buffalo 1/31/20

In the weeks following the US killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soliemani, fears of increased "Iranophobia" have gripped some in the Iranian-American community amid the escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States...Responding to the attacks, the US announced it was imposing additional sanctions on Iran, including sanctions on eight Iranian officials it said were involved in "destabilising" activities in the Middle East. -Samira Sadeque, AlJazeera 1/30/20

In the wake of the killing of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, some 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans were reported to have been stopped at the U.S.-Canada border and subjected to secondary screenings or pulled aside and held for questioning, in some cases for hours. One historian and writer, John Ghazvinian, said he was held briefly at John F. Kennedy International Airport over the weekend and questioned about his views on Iran. -Pen America 1/30/20

As hellish as it's been this January, three students told the Campus Times that being Iranian in America has never been easy.. They said they've grown accustomed to operating by a different set of rules in many contexts - when applying for jobs, visas, credit cards. "Being an Iranian has a lot of consequences and disadvantages," said the first student. "I had my bank account closed five times without giving me notice." -Efua Agyare-Kumi, Univ. of Rochester 1/28/20

U.S. border officers working at multiple Canada-U.S. border crossings were instructed to target and interrogate Iranian-born travellers in early January, said a U.S. border officer in an email obtained by CBC News. The allegation follows reports that up to 200 people of Iranian descent travelling from B.C. - many of them Canadian or U.S. citizens - were detained and questioned for hours at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Wash., during the weekend of Jan. 4. -CBC 1/24/20

Makaremi and other anti-war activists helped organize a protest in Foley Square on Jan. 9 to denounce the prospect of a U.S. war with Iran and end sanctions that have left his mother struggling to get the proper dosage of her heart medicine. "By policy there are rights of me that are being nullified," Sadra Shahab said. "I'm a U.S. citizen, but my mom cannot visit me in my own country, that means I'm just not like any other citizen." On his way to the protest in Foley Square, Shahab commented, "I'm not sure there's ever a good time to be an Iranian, but it's a bad time to be an Iranian." -Paul Frangipane, Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1/23/20

Earlier this month, soon after President Donald Trump ordered the killing of a top Iranian government official and the nation vowed to retaliate, news broke that U.S. border agents held nearly 200 people of Iranian descent without explanation at the Washington state border with Canada. U.S. Customs and Border Protection disputed the claim that officers detained Iranian Americans at the Peace Arch border crossing, but dozens of news reports described otherwise. -Rowaida Abdelaziz, Huffington Post 1/23/20

I was surprised to meet Ghanimat Azhdari in Geneva last June. When I was asked to speak at a gathering of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Indigenous Fellowship Programme. She was a young woman from the Indigenous Qashqai community, and despite the obstacles she had most certainly faced on her way, she was at the top of her field. She told me about her work promoting biodiversity and that she was headed to Canada for her PhD. So talented and ambitious. I was heartbroken to find Ghanimat's face among the victims of the Ukrainian Airlines flight 752 that crashed in Iran on Jan. 8. -Leila Arakami, The Star 1/23/20

The National Iranian American Council has sent a letter to Etsy concerning its apparently discriminatory treatment of an American vendor selling "Persian dolls" on its website. These dolls appear to have been made in America with American materials by an American, and under no circumstances should have been flagged as a prohibited item. -NIAC 1/22/20

Iranian students at Purdue are feeling the ramifications of recent conflict between the United States and Iran, even while on campus. One graduate student, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of potential consequences on future petitions for immigration or jobs, hasn't seen his family in six and a half years. His parents were able to visit his brother, who's living in Canada, but they weren't able to obtain visas to visit him due to the travel ban. And he couldn't go to Canada without having to reapply for a visa. -Sean Murley., The Exponent 1/22/20

ollowing the US assassination of a top Iranian general earlier this month and Iranian airstrikes against US military bases in Iraq, Donald Trump once again imposed biting sanctions against the regime in Tehran. To Iranian Americans, many of whom have lived under sanctions in Iran or have family members there suffering through economic hardship, the fresh round of penalties is a painful reminder of the collateral consequences of escalating conflict. -Sam Levin, Guardian 1/20/20

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), and its sister organization NIAC Action, are American civil-society organizations working on behalf of members of the Iranian-American community and the broader American public. At a time when our nation is bitterly divided, NIAC is an important voice in our public debate on issues of enormous consequence for all Americans - and particularly for Americans of Iranian heritage - including heightened tensions in the Middle East and the risk of war, policies like the Muslim travel ban and extreme vetting, the rise in domestic hate crimes, and the protection of civil liberties. 1/18/20

I was born in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war [1980 to 1988], in a border town called Ahwaz. My family and I moved to San Francisco when I was very young, but most of my family still lives in Iran. My grandfather forced my mom and my dad to leave Iran during the war. He told them, Your kids can not have a good life here. They will do better things in America. I owe everything to my grandfather and my family who made so many sacrifices for me to be where I am today. -By Mana Mostatabi; as told to Leila Ettachfini, VICE 1/17/20

In the face of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, Iranian Americans can be caught in the middle... Nealofar Madani, a third-year in public health and co-leader of the Iranian Cultural Association, said she has concerns about family visiting from Iran. Milad Vedaie, a third-year in environmental engineering and co-leader of the Iranian Cultural Association, grew up in suburban Columbus and is a dual citizen of America and Iran. His parents and siblings all attended Ohio State. He said he has faced discrimination because of portrayals of Iranians in the media. Madani and Vedaie said they embrace both aspects of their identity and want to change media narratives around Iranians. -The Lantern 1/17/20

Jasmin "Jaws" Moghbeli earned her fierce nickname during her time as a decorated helicopter gunship pilot who flew more than 150 missions in Afghanistan. The Marine Corps major, MIT graduate and college basketball player can now add another accomplishment to her burgeoning resume: the first Iranian-American astronaut. -MSN 1/16/20

At age 22, Andy Madadian fled Iran with nothing, moved to Los Angeles and started playing guitar at nightclubs to pay rent. Now 63, the internationally celebrated pop singer says he's ready for another "new beginning": Madadian is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first Iranian artist to earn the honor. -Sam Levin, Guardian 1/16/20

In response to a letter sent by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AK), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Mike Braun (R-IN) to the Department of Justice baselessly urging an investigation into NIAC and NIAC Action, the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) issued the following statement: "At NIAC, we are proud of the work we do for our community. We will never stop working to advance peace and diplomacy or fighting for equitable immigration policies and the civil rights of all Americans. 1/15/20

The killing of Soleimani has united Iranians who showed up in large numbers at funeral processions in numerous Iranian cities, despite some Iranians living outside Iran dismissing them as having been forced to attend by the Iranian government. Moreover, parts of the social media sphere have created an alternative narrative that leaves the impression that a majority of Iranians living outside Iran support American interventionism. -Mohammad Rafi, Responsible Statecraft 1/15/20

The Washington region is home to one of the largest communities of Iranian-Americans in the country. More than 31,000 Iranian-Americans call the area home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2018 American Community Survey, behind only the Los Angeles and New York metropolitan regions...The intense barrage of news has been especially hard on Iranian-Americans who have strong personal and family ties to people in both countries. -NPR 1/11/20

The Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is opening an investigation into the many reports of people being stopped and questioned for hours over the weekend at the Canadian border, according to a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal. The civil-rights office verbally confirmed the investigation Wednesday, and said it is sending investigators to Washington state, according to Subhan Cheema, Jayapal's spokesman. -Seattle Times 1/9/20

That the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani will reorder the Middle East is obvious - Iraq's parliamentary vote to expel U.S. forces, along with Iran's declared restarting of its nuclear arms program with "no limitations," offers proof enough. But that the killing will have repercussions within the United States, rattling the lives and liberties of many U.S. citizens and residents, is also a strong possibility - one that's no less ominous. -Aziz Huq, Washington Post 1/8/20

The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) and its Iranian American coalition partners today issued the following statement following the recent reports of mass detentions of Iranians and Iranian Americans at the Washington/Canada Border: We write to share extremely disconcerting news and to share important information with you regarding new immigration incidents affecting Iranian Americans and Iranians in the U.S. Please read the below carefully and share this information with your friends and family. 1/7/20

Until Sunday morning, University of Pennsylvania academic and historian John Ghazvinian-who left Iran as a baby with his family more than four decades ago and grew up in London and Los Angeles-traveled in and out of the United States with the same freedoms as any other U.S. citizen. But when he arrived from Cairo at John F. Kennedy International Airport via an Air France connecting flight from Paris-two days after the U.S. military killed one of Iran's top generals on orders from President Donald Trump--all of that changed. -Lloyd Grove, Daily Beast 1/7/20

Arriving at the United States border in Washington State early Sunday morning after a skiing trip to Canada, Negah Hekmati and her family were pulled out of line for further questioning by Customs and Border Protection agents. The family found itself in a room filled with fellow Iranian-Americans, many of whom had already been held for hours. -New York Times 1/7/20

Mona Zabihian was on her way back to Washington after a Persian pop concert in Canada late Saturday night when she and four other Iranian Americans were pulled aside at the border. As their van slowed at the checkpoint, the U.S. citizens were asked a series of standard questions. Then they were given a slip and told to go inside, she said Sunday. The 27-year-old said she waited for about an hour before officials called for her questioning. -Los Angeles Times 1/6/20

The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani stoked fears Sunday that people of Iranian descent in the United States would come under heightened surveillance and led to reports that Iranian Americans were being detained at the U.S.-Canada border, which Customs and Border Protection denied. -CNBC 1/6/20

On September 24th, 2019, in his UN address President Trump defended the United States' economic sanctions against Iran by invoking language that has become so familiar to us we fail to hear its ruthless and genocidal resonances. After stating that it was his duty and priority to "defend America's interests," Trump cited "Iran's blood-lust," its "menacing behavior," its "traffic in monstrous antisemitism," and accused Iran of single-handedly destabilizing the Middle East. The use of abstract and degrading terminology to discuss Iran has a long history in American politics. -Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi 1/5/20

Since she was a kid, Yassamin has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to serving others through public service. Yassamin began her career as a John Gardner Public Service Fellow at the United Nations, where she served as the youngest member of the climate team that advised former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and helped to deliver the historic Paris Agreement. Later, she was appointed as the Director of the Climate Action 2016 Summit in Washington, DC, and worked with the Office of Governor Jerry Brown where she served as the Deputy Director of Policy for the Global Climate Action Summit. -PAAIA 12/24/19

Every morning, Hedieh Yazdanseta gets up by 5am and pulls up the US state department's website on her phone, tapping in a case number made up of 13 digits and letters she has long memorized. She holds her breath as the page slowly loads, but disappointment quickly settles in when she sees her case is still in "administrative processing". For the past two years, those words have kept Yazdanseta and her husband, Mohsen Rahmani, thousands of miles apart and unable to start the life they want to live together -Lauren Aratani, Guardian 12/24/19