A disturbing report appears in the Washington Free Beacon. 

U.S. government action could send 100 mostly Christian Iranians stranded in Vienna back to Iran this week, where their return during the harsh government crackdown on dissidents could target them for further persecution, human rights activists warn.

The deportation threat looms despite the Trump administration’s and Congress’s vocal support for protesters in Iran, who are waging the strongest nationwide uprising against the government in Tehran in eight years.

“These deportations, during a human-rights crackdown in Iran no less, could be a death sentence for these persecuted Christians and other minorities,” Nina Shea, an international humans rights lawyer who directs the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, told the Washington Free Beacon. …

“The administration needs to act fast to stop this travesty,” she said.

One of the Top Ten Persecutors of Christians

It’s bad in Iran, reports Open Doors. That’s a watchdog group for religious freedom.  Open Doors ranks the worst persecutors of Christians.  Iran made number 10.

In contrast to the neighboring Arab Gulf countries, the main threat for Christians comes from the government in Iran. The Iranian regime defines Iran as an Islamic State based on Shia Islam. Christians and other minorities are seen as an unwelcome distraction from this plan. Although some reports mention pressure from families and communities on converts from Islam to Christianity, Iranian society is much less fanatic than their leadership.

According to the Free Beacon:

During the end of the Obama administration, the State Department initially signed off on plans to resettle the latest group of mostly Iranian Christian refugees but then placed a hold on them toward the end of last year before Trump took office. …

Carrying on Obama’s Pro-Muslim Bias

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump called out the abuse of the refugee system. Routinely, whole Muslim families leave new countries where they are already safe. We fly them over half a dozen other Muslim nations. (Places where they also would be safe.) Then we give them public benefits in the United States. Some swell the ranks of extremist mosques. Remember the machete attack on students at Ohio State University in 2016? Thank a Somali jihadist whose large family was airlifted to Dallas, Texas at U.S. taxpayer expense. The Boston Marathon Bombing? Two Muslim immigrants whose family got political asylum from Chechnya.

Keep Our Promise

But these 100 Iranian Christians pose no such danger. Most hail from two long-persecuted communities, the Armenians and the Assyrians. These refugees are the victims of Obama-era policies favoring Muslim migrants over genuine Christian refugees. The Beacon spoke to advocate Anna Buwalda:

“The U.S. has broken its promise to Iranian religious minorities,” Buwalda said. “They traveled to Vienna at the invitation of the United States, with the understanding that they would soon be reunited with their American families. Instead, the groups of refugees have been forced to wait there for more than a year with no explanation. They have no source of income, and many have spent down their life savings.”

“The U.S. government must solve this situation quickly and humanely,” she said.

Routinely, whole Muslim families leave new countries where they are already safe. We fly them flown over half a dozen other Muslim nations. (Place where they also would be safe.) Then we give them public benefits in the United States.

Trump Can Turn This Into a Win

This situation is an impending tragedy. President Trump could turn it into a big political win. He should cut through the red tape. Issue a presidential order. Have these refugees flown to Reagan National. Greet them on the tarmac. Arrange press interviews with them about the human rights crisis in Iran. Let them testify before Congress. He could highlight his reform of the biased Obama refugee policies. And humiliate Iran.

Tell the President: Let’s admit these 100 Christians fleeing religious persecution by one of our enemies. It isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing. It’s nice when that happens, isn’t it?