Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the reauthorization of the Lautenberg Amendment, a lifeline for Iranian Jews, Christians, Baha'is and other religious minorities under threat of the Iranian regime. Life in Iran for Jews, Christians and Baha'is is dangerous. Each year, the State Department cites Iran as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' for its ``systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom.'' President Ahmadinejad has engaged in a campaign of virulent anti-Semitism, and according to the 2011 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, ``Since the disputed June 12, 2009 elections, human rights and religious freedom conditions in Iran have regressed to a point not seen since the early days of the Islamic revolution.'' The regime has a history of targeting religious minorities for harassment, imprisonment or worse. The Lautenberg Amendment provides an escape route for these vulnerable individuals. First enacted in 1989, and extended to include Iran in 2003, the provision establishes a presumption of refugee eligibility for certain categories of historically religiously persecuted minorities. The Fiscal Year 2011 funding measure only authorized the program for 45 days, leaving thousands of Iranians seeking escape at great risk when it expired on June 1.…”