Ansari Delivers Floor Speech Highlighting Contributions of Arizona’s Iranian Community, Calls for Temporary Protected Status

WASHINGTON -Today, Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) delivered a speech on the House Floor in support of the Iranian Temporary Immigration Relief Act, legislation she introduced to provide Temporary Protected Status and work authorization to eligible Iranian nationals already living legally in the United States.

"Our bill is about fairness. It is about keeping a promise to people who followed the law, complied with every immigration requirement, and came to this country to study, research, innovate, and contribute," said Rep. Ansari. "Just in Arizona, I've heard from dozens of students, scientists, engineers, and researchers whose lives have been thrown into limbo by the chaos unleashed by the Trump Administration. These are real people contributing to America's future."

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Below is a transcript of Rep. Ansari's full remarks as delivered on the House Floor:

Mister Speaker,

I rise today in support of the Iranian Temporary Immigration Relief Act, legislation I introduced alongside Congressman Tom Suozzi to provide Temporary Protected Status and work authorization to eligible Iranian nationals already living legally in the United States.

Our bill is about fairness.

It is about keeping a promise to people who followed the law, complied with every immigration requirement, and came to this country to study, research, innovate, and contribute. It is also personal to me. My father came to the United States as a student. Like so many others I've met in Arizona, he came here legally, pursued his education, and built a life grounded in opportunity and hard work.

These stories are not unique. They are shared by thousands of Iranian students and researchers who now find themselves caught in uncertainty through no fault of their own.

Just in Arizona, I've heard from dozens of students, scientists, engineers, and researchers whose lives have been thrown into limbo by the chaos unleashed by the Trump Administration.

These are real people contributing to America's future.

One Arizona State University graduate earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, researching biomedical technologies for neurological diseases through NIH-funded projects. He secured a competitive position at Mayo Clinic to continue federally funded medical research, but because his employment authorization remains frozen, he has spent months unable to work, without income, and without health insurance.

Another researcher at ASU completed her Ph.D. studying how lighting and design affect migraine patients, older adults, and individuals with Alzheimer's disease. She had a job offer waiting for her at a major architecture and design firm in Arizona. She did everything right. She filed every document on time. Yet she still cannot begin her work because her case remains stuck in administrative limbo created by the Trump Administration.

I heard from a Ph.D. researcher working on artificial intelligence for power grid reliability-crucial in my state. His research was recognized in a Department of Energy competition. And yet despite receiving job opportunities from American employers, he cannot legally begin contributing those skills.

I heard from a biomedical researcher working on brain cancer drug development at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Her work has already contributed to projects that advanced into human clinical trials here in Arizona. She came to the United States to help sick people and advance science. Instead, she now faces the possibility of being forced to leave the country just as she nears completion of her doctorate.

And I heard from an Iranian Ph.D. student in public health here in Arizona whose husband waited nearly two years in administrative processing for a dependent visa, only to ultimately be denied after chaotic Trump policies prevented him from getting the visa he was promised. After ten years of marriage, they are now separated indefinitely.

These individuals are not asking for special treatment.

They are asking for their lawful applications to be processed fairly, and they are asking not to be punished because of where they were born.

These students and researchers are conducting NIH-funded cancer research, developing biomedical technologies, strengthening artificial intelligence systems, improving public health, advancing clean energy reliability, and helping American universities and employers remain globally competitive.

The United States spent taxpayer dollars on training many of these individuals. American universities recruited them. Federal grants supported their research. And American hospitals and companies offered them jobs.

And now, after years of education and contribution, we are telling them they may not be allowed to continue their work and could be forced to return to Iran amid a dire human rights crisis worsened by ongoing hostilities and increased repression by the Islamic Republic.

Many Iranians residing in the U.S. have participated in anti-Islamic Republic and pro-democracy demonstrations in recent years, putting them at greater risk of persecution in Iran.

My bill grants Temporary Protected Status and work authorization to eligible Iranian nationals legally present in the United States while their immigration matters remain pending.

Importantly, this legislation includes safeguards to ensure that individuals connected to the Islamic Republic are not eligible for relief.

This is targeted relief for ordinary civilians, students, researchers, scientists, families, and professionals who have complied with the law and built lives in our communities.

As the first Iranian American Democrat elected to Congress, I know personally how deeply these stories resonate across our communities. But this issue is larger than any one community. It is about whether America remains a country that rewards talent, values fairness, supports scientific innovation, and honors due process.

It is about whether we treat people with dignity when they have followed every rule we asked them to follow.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Iranian Temporary Immigration Relief Act, and I yield back.

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