The Iranian-American Perspective On The U.S. And Iran

WAMU 88.5

Published January 7, 2020 at 9:06 AM CST

A protester gestures under a flag of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) during a demonstration in support of the Iranian people amid a wave of protests spreading throughout Iran in Brussels.

Iranian-Americans and Iranians were reportedly detained at U.S. borders over the weekend for questioning in the wake of the death of Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani.

At Washington state’s border with Canada, more than 60 travelers said they were held for questioning after attempting to return home on Saturday. According to advocacy groups, detainees were quizzed on their political views and allegiances.

Customs and Border Protection denied the reports in statement made on Sunday.

“Social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian-Americans and refusing their entry into the U.S. because of their country of origin are false. Reports that DHS/CBP has issued a related directive are also false,” said CBP Press Secretary Matt Leas.

How will Soleimani’s death affect life for Iranians and Iranian-Americans living in the United States? And how do those people feel about the possibility of war between the U.S. and Iran?

Produced by Stacia Brown.

GUESTS

Yeganeh Torbati, Reporter for ProPublica; @yjtorbati

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Homeland security correspondent for the New York Times; @KannoYoungs

David Leopold, Former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association; a practicing immigration attorney with Leopold & Associates; @DavidLeopold.

Sarah Parvini, Reporter for the Los Angeles times metro desk; @sarahparvini

Jason Rezaian, Global Opinions writer and former Tehran bureau chief, The Washington Post; author, “Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison — Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out”; @jrezaian

For more, visit https://the1a.org.