Issues
The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization that serves the interests of Iranian Americans and represents the community before U.S. policymakers and the American public at large. To learn more about the issues PAAIA advocates for, click a button below.
2021 Policy Priorities
As the country prepares to welcome a new administration and Congress, PAAIA wishes to share insight into the policy priorities of the Iranian American community. These priorities are shaped in part by results from PAAIA’s annual public opinion survey, which is designed to gauge the community’s views on various issues. Priorities within the Iranian American community include:
- End discriminatory travel, immigration, and visa issues that disproportionately harm the Iranian American community.
- Recognize and uphold the civil rights and civil liberties of Iranian Americans.
- Expand humanitarian and telecommunications trade exemptions, prioritize diplomacy, and protect Americans in Iran.
To that end, PAAIA’s 2021 Policy Priorities document highlights the efforts PAAIA will be undergoing this year.
Diplomacy First
As Iranian Americans, our community is deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States, and about the potential for an accidental and unnecessary war. We believe that U.S. national interests are best served by prioritizing democracy. The Diplomacy First campaign is an ongoing initiative at PAAIA to support policies that promote peace and diplomacy.
PAAIA’s concerns center on:
- The human cost of war, both in terms of troops and innocent civilians.
- The economic cost of war, including expenditures by U.S. taxpayers.
- Potential instability and chaos in Iran, which could then spillover with macro-economic consequences throughout an already unstable region.
Travel Ban
The Trump Administration’s Travel Ban indefinitely suspended the issuance of both immigrant and non-immigrant visas to applicants from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, and Venezuela. Over 135 million people were impacted by the Travel Ban, with the majority being Iranian nationals.
In addition to filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration and submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, PAAIA worked with Senator Chris Van Hollen’s office to obtain clarifications on waiver provisions included in the third iteration of the ban.
Although the Travel Ban has been reversed by President Biden, work remains to be done. PAAIA is actively supporting legislation including the NO BAN Act and the Keeping our Promise Act which would help those who were impacted by the Travel Ban.