A dozen Democratic senators are urging the Trump administration to halt deportation flights to Iran.
Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) led a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio following reports in January that dozens of Iranians, many of whom could be subject to retribution if returned, were deported back to the Islamic Republic in the prior months.
“The United States has long been a safe haven for Iranians fleeing oppression and persecution by the Iranian regime because of their political ideology, religious beliefs or sexual orientation,” they wrote.
“In the eyes of the regime, some of these ‘crimes’ are punishable by death, and deportees have stated they’ll likely face such sentences if sent back to Iran,” they added.
Some of the deportations came amid a brutal crackdown by the Iranian regime’s security forces on civilians protesting the government’s handling of the country’s collapsing economy. Estimates of victims vary widely, from thousands to tens of thousands.
The senators appealed to Rubio on a personal basis since some of his relatives fled Cuba due to the rise of communism in the island nation.
“Throughout your career in the Senate, you were an advocate for Cubans escaping oppression and persecution by the Castro regime, and for the protection of political dissidents and religious minorities around the world,” the senators wrote.
“Now we ask you and the Trump administration to ensure that the United States does not violate U.S. and international law by returning people who have a well-founded fear of persecution and torture by the brutal Iranian regime,” they said.
Welch and Kaine were joined by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
