TAAL founder calls on U.S. president to stop deportation of 2,808  Armenians 

ArmInfo. Vic Gerami, founder of the Truth And Accountability League (TAAL), has addressed an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, calling on him to spot the  deportation of 2,808 Armenians. 

Dear Mr. President

As the founder of the Truth And Accountability League (TAAL), a human  rights and anti-defamation non- profit organization advocating for  Armenian-Americans, I ask that your administration review the 2,808  Armenians on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) list.

Majority of the Armenians are refugees from the Artsakh Genocide  (2020-2023) and have not committed any crimes. Their ancestral land  of millennia, their home, and everything they've known was invaded,  occupied, and destroyed. They became refugees as a result of a  modern-era ethnic cleansing in 2023 after being subject to war crimes  and crimes against humanity in 2020 and months-long famine to force a  perilous migration out of their ancestral lands.

A reminder that Azerbaijan, with help from Turkiye, Russia, and  Israel invaded the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) under your  watch. Secretary Pompeo lifted Section 907 of the Freedom Act and  gave Azerbaijan a $100 million security and military aid package  months before Aliyev's authoritarian regime invaded Artsakh.

Congressman Issa's letter to you describes, with painful accuracy,  the suffering and the predicament that Artsakh Armenians find  themselves in, 'I am deeply concerned by these statements at a time  when your administration has clearly made it the policy of the United  States to seek peace in the world. As your administration develops a  robust Caucasus policy, in the interim, the United States should  deter additional actions by Azerbaijan against Armenia by making  clear that we are willing to use a wide array of instruments,  including sanctions.'

A member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Rep. Issa previously  sent questions directly to the Biden Administration regarding serious  policy lapses that led to instability and violence in the region.   Specifically, Rep. Issa asked the Biden State Department: 'Given the  despotic nature of the Aliyev regime, what is the Administration  doing to ensure Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh have a right to return  to their homes and live safely and freely without fear, oppression,  and human rights violations by the government of Azerbaijan?'

In his letter to you, Congressman Issa added: 'Unfortunately, the  State Department under the Biden-Harris Administration was  effectively pushing Armenia to make further concessions to meet  Azerbaijan's growing list of preconditions for signing a peace  treaty. Armenia and its people have suffered significantly at the  hands of Azerbaijan, with some of Armenia's internationally  recognized territory under Azerbaijan's occupation and 120,000  Armenians being forced to leave their ancestral homes in  Nagorno-Karabakh and elsewhere. Armenia should not be expected to  make any further concessions.'

Our government has an obligation under international law to ensure  that its laws, policies, and practices do not place migrants and  people seeking safety at an increased risk of human rights abuses.  While the US, like all countries, has the power to regulate the entry  and stay of non-nationals in its territory, it can only do so within  the limits of its human rights obligations.

A mass deportation campaign violates multiple rights, including  protection against return to a country where people are at real risk  of torture and other serious human rights harms (refoulement); the  right to seek asylum; freedom from arbitrary detention; due process;  family unity and children's rights; and non- discrimination. It also  tears apart communities, families, and the economy.

The United States has the resources and capacity to protect people  fleeing persecution, not just Armenians, but many people with similar  situations. The world turned a blind eye when Artsakh Armenians were  subject to crimes against humanity for three years. Don't we owe it  to them to end their suffering and integrate them into American  society? Our nation's greatness is a testament to the dedication and  patriotism of those who found safety and refuge in America by  escaping war crimes and persecution in their own countries. Should we  not stay true to this noble American legacy by extending the same  opportunity to the Artsakh Armenian victims of ethnic cleansing,  violence and massacres? I hope that after careful consideration, you  will consider the case of Armenians and stop their deportation. I,  and TAAL, are happy to assist your team with questions and  information.

I appreciate your time and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Vic Gerami Founder and Chair

TruthAndAccountabilityLeague.org

310.880.8563

[email protected]

About TAAL

TAAL is a 501c3 non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2020 due  to a significant increase in anti- Armenian racism, defamation, hate  crimes, and Armenophobia. We monitor and confront bias,  disinformation, propaganda, and slander of the Armenian people and  culture at the media level, including social media, academics,  intelligentsia, and public policy.