U.S. Agencies to Take into Account Religious and Political Views of Iranian Students in This Country

The White House, the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and other elements of the U.S. government are alert that official treatment of the approximately 53,000 Iranian students in this country will take account of their religion and political views.

Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti on Nov. 13 announced that all Iranian students would have to report to INS within 30 days to show they are enrolled as full-time students in compliance with the terms of their visas. Failure to report or providing false information to INS will subject the student to deportation proceedings, the Justice Department announced.

Since then, members of Congress and government officials have been besieged with requests from concerned Iranians and Jewish community leaders in regard to student members of Iranian minorities, including Jews, Christians and members of the Bahai sect.

Vern Jervis, chief of public affairs for INS told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the Iranians will have full opportunity in their interviews with INS officials to explain their particular situations. The students will be required to appear at the approximately 50 INS offices in major American cities.

Jervis said that more than 200 Iranian students have already asked for asylum in the United States, adding, “It would be a good guess that a substantial number of them are Jewish and they will not be deported on any grounds. “According to unofficial reports, some 8000 of the Iranian students in the United States are understood to be Jewish.

CONSIDERING PROBLEM OF JEOPARDY

Meanwhile, members of Congress are asking government departments and President Carter about the factors involving students of particular religious beliefs who would be in serious jeopardy if they were deported to Iran.

In a letter to Carter Tuesday, Rep. Stephen Solarz (D.NY) noted that the Administration had given assurances last February that “any member of a group at risk in Iran would be allowed to remain temporarily in our country until the political situation stabilized there.” But now “these Iranian minorities feel they will be forced from their refuge since they are receiving no funds from home, their work authorization has been rescinded and they have had to drop out of school,” Solarz stated.

He urged that the recently announced policies relating to Iranian students will be reviewed “with particular sympathy toward the perilous situation that minorities will face when returned to Iran.”