'Bureaucratic Temper Tantrum': Trump White House Pilloried Over Reported Effort to Deport Iran War Critic Trita Parsi

Trump administration probes deportation of Iran war critic Trita Parsi, drawing sharp rebukts

The Trump administration has reportedly opened an investigation that could lead to the deportation of Trita Parsi, an Iranian-Swedish citizen and longtime U.S. resident who is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and co-founded the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). Parsi, who holds a U.S. green card and has lived in the United States for 25 years, has been a prominent critic of the administration’s military actions since February, when U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran have been linked to more than 1,700 civilian deaths and widespread regional fallout.

“The secretary has been very clear,” an unnamed administration official reportedly said, referring to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Anyone who seeks to undermine the US, we’re taking a hard look at.”

Officials cited Parsi’s public warnings against escalation with Iran, his informal advisory role during negotiations for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, opposition to U.S. sanctions, and correspondence with Iranian officials as factors that the State Department views as evidence of spreading “Iranian influence.” The reported probe comes amid a broader pattern in which the administration has used immigration tools against foreign-born critics and those accused of promoting the agendas of adversaries.

• Parsi has been a highly cited anti-war voice across media since February and is prepared to pursue legal action if detained or targeted for deportation, Quincy CEO Lora Lumpe noted in internal communications reportedly prepared by the organization.
• Other recent actions by the administration include the April arrests of two women alleged to be relatives of Qasem Soleimani—claims later shown to be unsupported—and revocation of green cards; and cancellation of a visa belonging to the daughter of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who was assassinated in March.
• Critics say the administration has similarly targeted critics of Israel, including Columbia student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk, whose deportation case was thrown out by an immigration judge in February.

Civil liberties groups and anti-war commentators have condemned the reported investigation as an attack on free speech. “Trita Parsi is a courageous and outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran, alongside whom we’re proud to have worked in opposition to war and injustice for many years,” said the organization Defending Rights & Dissent. “The Trump administration’s investigation of Parsi is an outrageous attack on free speech. Government officials are explicit that they are exploring deporting Parsi specifically for his advocacy—a blatant affront to the First Amendment.”

Branko Marcetic, who writes for Jacobin, called the reported targeting “contemptible” and added, “Irony is if the Trump admin had listened to Parsi, they’d be in much better shape now.” The episode has also been linked to activity by pro-Trump influencer Laura Loomer, who publicly accused Parsi of being “a mouthpiece for the Iranian regime” and warned that his “days in our country are numbered.”

Outlook: If the administration proceeds, the case could test the limits of a rarely used McCarran-era provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows stripping legal residents of status for speech deemed adverse to a “compelling United States foreign policy interest.” Parsi and Quincy Institute lawyers appear prepared to challenge any attempt to detain or deport him, setting the stage for a high-profile legal and constitutional showdown over advocacy, national security, and the use of immigration powers.