Practical Entrepreneur

Back in March 2006, R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs asked the House International Relations Committee for an additional $75 million to expand the departments effort to reach out to the Iranian people in order to support change and reform in Iran. $5 million of this money was appropriated to be used to reach out to young Iranians through educational programs such as scholarships, exchange programs, etc

Finally, we will expand our outreach to young Iranians who have never experienced democracy. We will spend $5 million on Iranian student education and international exchanges, providing scholarships as well as creating professional, cultural, sports and youth exchanges designed to build bridges between our two nations. If Iranians are banned from playing Mozart in Iran, we will help them to do so in our country.

Well, I guess now I know how they were actually planning to spend this money: To Fund Detaining Iranian professionals Visiting US. That’s right. It’s the same Fair and Balanced approach that we have come to expect. The administration that needs money to reach out to young educated Iranians as it alienates the same group by humiliating them.

This past week marked the bi-annual Sharif University of Technology alumni reunion in Santa Clara, California. Over 600 alumni of the university were schedule to gather in Hyatt Regency Santa Clara for 3 days, 120 of which were arriving from Iran. Every single one of the 120 attendees had a valid US visa. Exact numbers are not known yet, but it has been reported that 40-50 of the guests arriving from Iran have been detained in US airports (despite having valid visas) and after spending a night in “jail-like” conditions, they were deported back to Iran.

The deports were not limited to one airport as reports from San Francisco airport in addition to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York have emerged. According to Mercury News

Denied travelers were given the choice to withdraw their applications and head home, or face a ban on applying for future U.S. visas if they contested the revocation, technology association representatives said.

I am simply outraged! Talk about sending mixed signals! It’s very discouraging that this has not become a bigger news item, but given the mess in Lebanon, Iraq, and local primaries I guess I see how this is not news worthy. I would really like to see NIAC pursue this matter and get to the bottom of it.

Blogsphere and News Outlet Coverage
Sad events of SUTA reunion – Weblog of Persian Students in the UK
Turning Back Iranians With Valid Us Visas: Is This The Way To Win The Hearts And Minds Of The Iranian People? – LondonCaspian
Madam Secretary, how do you explain this? – Kash’s Newsroom
100+ Iranian Visas Revoked At U.S. Airports Last Week – The Naked Truth
Iranians at SFO last week… – My Blog That’s Not Splog
Visas Revoked For Iranians Attending Conference – ABC News
Iranian professionals detained at S.F. airport, face deportation – Mercury News
آمریکا به اعضای انجمن دانشگاه شریف اجازه ورود نداد – رادیو زمانه
آمريکا ويزای دهها ايرانی را در فرودگاه لغو کرد – Persian BBC
اعتراض دانش آموختگان دانشگاه شريف به آمريک – Persian BBC

Cross-Posted on G enius Moment