This letter is following up to a previous correspondence sent on January 7th, 2020, in which we communicated our concerns over reports of discrimination against Iranian-Canadians at the US-Canada border.

In some cases, Iranian-Canadians have reported being held for over 30 hours without explanation and being asked racially charged questions. Some have reported being finger printed before being sent back to Canada and are worried about what the United States plans on doing with these finger prints.

There have also been reports from Canadian outlets about the United States government collecting DNA samples from those who are detained at the border, which can be very dangerous for all Canadians who wish to enter the United States, whether it be for business or personal reasons.

Since these initial reports, the accusations were confirmed and leaked memos have shown that individuals of Iranian descent, including Canadian citizens, residents, and international students, are being discriminated against by US border officials, subject to extra interrogation, and being detained, solely because of their national origin, as part of what seems to be formal government policy. 

We ask again that the Prime Minister's Office, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Public Safety immediately investigate this issue and lodge the strongest possible complaint with the Trump administration. We expect the Canadian government to stand up against this racial discrimination by Donald Trump's government, a discrimination not only violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but also international laws that prohibit discrimination based on national or ethnic origin.