Presentation of the "Artemis Law" by "Yasmine Ansari" to the US Congress

Yasmin Ansari presented the Artemis Act to the US Congress, calling for a halt to the deportation of religious refugees.

Yasmin Ansari, an Iranian-American member of the US House of Representatives, who had recently submitted the "Persian Gulf" bill to the US Congress, this time presented a bill to the US Congress called the "Artemis Act", which aims to protect religious refugees and call for a halt to the deportation of these people from the US. 

Artemis Ghasemzadeh, a 27-year-old Iranian Christian citizen who immigrated to the United States with her brother in recent months, was deported to Panama after being deported illegally. She now faces deportation to Iran, where she faces serious threats due to her religious beliefs if returned.

Yasmin Ansari, a member of parliament, also posted a message on her dedicated website and the X social network on Tuesday evening, May 20, writing: "This bill was introduced with the aim of protecting the fair trial process and preventing the rapid deportation of individuals who are citizens of countries or are being returned to countries that the US State Department has blacklisted for severe violations of religious freedom."

He also pointed to Artemis’s denial of the “well-founded fear” interview that asylum seekers are entitled to under the law, adding: “Artemis Ghasemzadeh was clearly denied the due process rights guaranteed to asylum seekers under the law. Returning her to the Islamic Republic of Iran would pose an immediate and perhaps fatal risk to her, both as a woman and as a Christian convert. Just a few days ago, I had the great honor of speaking with Artemis via WhatsApp. She was so brave and resilient. My hope is that this law will prevent a repeat of the nightmare she experienced.”

Artemis also released a statement on the matter, saying: “As a Christian convert fleeing danger, I trusted the United States to be a haven for the freedom to practice my faith. Despite the warnings, I entered with confidence that America would welcome me. But my deportation to Panama without a chance to present my case shattered my American dream. I hope that one day America will once again be a haven for those seeking religious freedom.”

After the publication of this law by Yasmin Ansari and the Artemis statement, immigrant rights advocates accused the Trump administration and acknowledged that it had deported about 12 immigrants from countries such as Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan, contrary to court orders. 

In a formal petition to the federal court in Boston, asylum rights activists asked a federal judge to order the return of these individuals, stating: "Despite a previous court order, the Trump administration has proceeded to rapidly deport immigrants to countries other than their countries of origin, without first giving them the opportunity to express concerns about the possibility of torture or persecution in an alternative destination."

It should be noted that the court had explicitly prohibited the Trump administration from carrying out such deportations without a preliminary hearing.