00:00Hi everyone, this is Congresswoman Yasemin Ansari. I wanted to talk to you about the current situation
00:05in Iran and what is happening here in Arizona that's related. Please watch this video. It's
00:11very, very important and I need everyone to take action. The images and videos that have come out
00:16of Iran over the past few weeks are truly, truly horrific. Numbers are still being verified by
00:22human rights organizations, but it's reported that the Islamic Republic has murdered over 17,000
00:29Iranians and arrested tens of thousands more. The barbaric regime cut off internet access in Iran
00:36while committing these atrocities and phone lines were cut to cover up all of this and silence the
00:44Iranian people. Last week, I was proud to introduce a bipartisan resolution in support of the people in
00:50Iran who courageously went out. Millions of them took to the streets to demand freedom and democracy
00:57and an end to the Islamic Republic. Now, we are hearing credible reports that the Trump administration
01:05is planning to deport 40 Iranian asylum seekers this Sunday from Arizona and these are asylum seekers who
01:16came to the United States because of persecution they were facing from the regime in Iran. This is
01:23part of a deal that the administration has made with the Islamic Republic regime. This would be the third
01:29flight that the administration would carry out as part of this deal with hundreds of Iranians having
01:35already been sent back. This time is especially sickening given the context that the Islamic Republic
01:43just murdered tens of thousands of its own people. They are imprisoning people. There are folks facing
01:50execution and these asylum seekers have told their lawyers and their family members that they fear
01:56for their lives if they are sent back. At least two of them are gay men and being gay is a crime punishable
02:04by death under the current regime in Iran. This is completely sickening. Donald Trump has promised to help
02:12the people of Iran. Instead, he's working directly with the Islamic Republic to send back vulnerable,
02:18innocent Iranians, including LGBTQ Iranians back into the danger of this regime and maybe even to their
02:25death. This should not be a partisan issue. It hasn't been a partisan issue. There's been tremendous
02:32bipartisan support for Iranian people. So I'm calling on the Trump administration to please halt this flight
02:39immediately and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to speak out and take action. It's a matter of
02:46life or death for these asylum seekers. As a proud daughter of Iranian immigrants, I will continue
02:52to stand with Iranian people and fight to ensure that nobody is sent back to face persecution or violence
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