Trump Deporting Gay Men to Iran Is a Death Sentence
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The Trump administration is deporting at least 40 Iranian nationals back to Iran, with a flight scheduled from Arizona.
- ❖Two of the deportees are gay men who previously fled Iran after facing arrest and a likely death sentence for their sexuality.
- ❖Being gay is punishable by death in Iran; two gay men were executed in 2022.
- ❖Another deportee is an Iranian national with US citizen children, picked up by ICE despite regular check-ins and a minor non-violent offense.
- ❖The host argues that these deportations are a 'death sentence' for the individuals and a 'heinous and depraved' policy.
- ❖The policy directly contradicts former President Trump's public statements of support for Iranian protesters fighting the regime.
- ❖The US is seen as abandoning people it encouraged to protest and is now sending more individuals back to danger.
Insights
1Deportation of Gay Iranians as a Death Sentence
The Trump administration's plan to deport two gay Iranian men back to Iran is effectively a death sentence, as homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death in Iran. These men had previously fled Iran after being arrested by morality police and awaiting execution.
Two of them are Iranians who are gay men. They told their lawyer Rebecca Wolf that they are set to be deported on that Sunday flight. Being gay is illegal and punishable by death in Iran. They executed two gay men in 2022. These deportees are terrified. Both men, just for their backstory, had fled Iran four years ago after they'd already been arrested by the country's morality police and were awaiting a likely death sentence.
2Contradiction in US Foreign Policy and Immigration
The US policy of deporting Iranian asylum seekers, particularly those facing persecution, directly contradicts the Trump administration's public statements of support for Iranian protesters. The host argues that encouraging protests while simultaneously sending people back to the oppressive regime undermines US credibility and is a moral failure.
Donald Trump said to the protesters in the streets of Iran, 'Continue. We support you.' ... And many of them continued protesting. And the Iranian regime started murdering them in mass. ... To send people back to that country is insult upon injury. It's a horror on top of a horror.
3Abandonment of Asylum Principles
The host asserts that the deportations represent an abandonment of the core American principle of providing asylum to those fleeing acute fear and persecution. The individuals being deported had sought asylum and were in the process of adjudication, with some having lived in the US for years.
We welcome people who have an acute fear that they will be killed if they stay in their home country. So that is why they were they came to America in the first place. That's why they applied for asylum. ... And for us now to decide, hey, no, we're going to send you back to a place where you had a death sentence just because you were gay.
Lessons
- Contact your representatives to raise awareness and encourage them to put a stop to the Iranian deportation flight.
- Advocate for policies that align US immigration practices with its stated foreign policy goals, particularly regarding human rights and support for democracy abroad.
- Support organizations and lawyers working to protect asylum seekers, especially those facing acute danger if deported.
Notable Moments
The host's emotional reaction and description of the policy as 'blood boiling, blood curdling' and causing his 'cortisol to spike.'
This highlights the intense personal and moral outrage the host feels about the policy, underscoring the severity of the situation from his perspective.
The host directly addresses Trump supporters who believe in fighting oppressors, urging them to examine the contradiction in this policy.
This is a direct appeal to a specific audience, attempting to bridge political divides on a moral issue and highlight inconsistencies within a political base's stated values.
Quotes
"We are giving these two men a death a death sentence. They had come to our country looking for asylum and were waiting for their asylum claims to be adjudicated."
"This is a place where people who are discriminated against based on religion or based on, you know, their personal freedoms could come here and start a new life. Isn't that the story of the founders? Isn't it the story of the country? Like we cannot accommodate this."
"To send people back to that country is insult upon injury. It's a horror on top of a horror."
"It is just a a heinous abdication of our duty."
Q&A
Recent Questions
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