Why a Persian-Speaking Deportation Attorney Matters
Immigration court proceedings are technical, fast-moving, and unforgiving. When your case involves credibility findings on your testimony, precise translation of country conditions in Iran, or the specific religious and ethnic persecution grounds Iranian applicants often raise, the distance between your understanding and your attorney’s understanding can decide the case. I represent clients in English, and I also communicate directly with Persian and Farsi speakers in their language. Our office additionally serves Spanish-speaking clients.
ما به زبان فارسی صحبت میکنیم
اگر شما یا یکی از اعضای خانوادهی شما در معرض دیپورت از ایالات متحده قرار دارید، امروز با دفتر وکالت شاون صداقت تماس بگیرید: در شمارهی (818) 382-3333
The June 2025 Presidential Proclamation on Iran: What It Means for You
On June 4, 2025, effective June 9, 2025, a Presidential Proclamation suspended entry into the United States for nationals of Iran and eleven other countries. For our clients, this changed the risk analysis for consular processing overnight. Some things to know:
- Existing valid visas remain valid. If you already had a visa on June 9, 2025, and you are inside the U.S., your visa itself was not invalidated by the Proclamation.
- New immigrant visas at consulates are largely suspended, subject to specific narrow exceptions—including immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens with clear documentary evidence of the relationship, and lawful permanent residents returning to the U.S.
- Adjustment of status inside the U.S. remains available for eligible applicants. In fact, for many Iranian clients, adjusting status here rather than consular processing is now the meaningfully safer path.
- Removal defense strategy has to account for the Proclamation. A voluntary departure order today looks different than it did a year ago, because the ability to re-enter is now materially harder.
Special Challenges for Iranian Nationals in Immigration Court
Iranian clients often face a combination of factors that don’t come up in the same way for clients from other countries. In my practice, these are the ones that most often shape strategy:
- Asylum claims based on religious or ethnic persecution —particularly for Baha’i, Christian converts, Jewish, Kurdish, and Baluchi applicants, along with LGBTQ applicants and women fleeing gender-based persecution. Country-conditions documentation and credible-fear testimony are often decisive.
- Political-opinion claims for applicants who participated in Green Movement protests, Woman-Life-Freedom protests, or spoke publicly against the Iranian government.
- Detention and bond —Iranian nationals sometimes face longer detention because ICE cannot easily deport them due to the absence of a repatriation agreement. This may create leverage for prolonged-detention arguments under Zadvydas v. Davis.
- Withholding of removal and CAT protection —for applicants who cannot win asylum but can prove they would face persecution or torture if returned to Iran.
How to Contact Us in Persian or English
You can call our office directly at (818) 382-3333 . When you call, ask to speak in Persian (Farsi) or English—either works. Consultations are free and confidential. Our two offices serve Los Angeles County and Orange County; we also work with clients throughout California and, on federal court matters, nationally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you speak Persian (Farsi) in the office?
Yes. I communicate directly with Persian- and Farsi-speaking clients in their language, and our office is set up to intake, consult, and manage cases in Persian without a third-party interpreter. Documents, court testimony, and formal filings are always in English, as required by U.S. immigration courts and USCIS, but the attorney-client conversation can happen entirely in Persian.
Am I safer applying from inside the U.S. or from Iran right now?
For most Iranian clients today, inside the U.S. is safer. The June 2025 Presidential Proclamation makes consular processing at U.S. embassies materially harder for Iranian nationals, while adjustment-of-status pathways inside the U.S. remain open for eligible applicants. This is a case-by-case call, but the default guidance has shifted.
I’m in ICE detention. Can you help?
Yes. Detention cases are time-sensitive. If you or a family member is in ICE custody, call our office as soon as possible so we can start work on bond, defense strategy, and any credible-fear or reasonable-fear interview that may be pending. Iranian nationals sometimes qualify for release under prolonged-detention arguments if ICE cannot deport them.
My family in Iran wants to visit me in the U.S. Can they still get a visa?
For most Iranian nationals seeking new tourist or family visitor visas after June 9, 2025, the answer is no under the current Proclamation, with narrow exceptions. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens with documented family relationships may qualify for an immigrant-visa exception. This is fact-specific and worth a consultation.
What’s the difference between asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT protection?
All three protect against being sent back to Iran, but they have different standards and different outcomes. Asylum requires a well-founded fear of persecution and offers a path to a green card and citizenship. Withholding of removal has a higher standard but blocks deportation for those who meet it. Protection under the Convention Against Torture blocks removal when there is a likelihood of torture, regardless of the reason. For Iranian applicants, we frequently pursue more than one in the alternative.
About the Attorney
Shawn Sedaghat is the founder and senior attorney of the Law Offices of Shawn Sedaghat, an immigration law firm based in Tarzana, California. Admitted to the State Bar of California in 1997 (Bar No. 188763), Shawn has practiced U.S. immigration law for nearly three decades, representing clients before USCIS, the Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and other federal courts. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of California, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of La Verne College of Law. The firm serves clients in English, Persian (Farsi), and Spanish.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about U.S. immigration law and is not legal advice for any specific situation. Immigration cases are fact-specific, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances, applicable law at the time of filing, and current USCIS or court policy. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. For legal advice about your specific matter, consult with a licensed immigration attorney. To schedule a free consultation with the Law Offices of Shawn Sedaghat, call (818) 382-3333.
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