According to the Iranian American Political Action committee, which urged Meehan to introduce the legislation, the existence of these inequities is evidenced by “findings in the Inspector General's Report of discriminatory enforcement of immigration laws, arrests followed by detentions for extended periods of time without charges, denials of access to counsel, and abuse by prison guards of nationals of Iranian origin.”

H. Res. 476, which notes the contributions of Iranian Americans to “the social and economic fabric of American society,” was first introduced by Representative Meehan in July 2005. It is a non-binding measure created in an effort to end the prejudice against Iranian Americans and is significant both for its recognition of the discrimination that currently exists and its call for the vigorous investigation and prosecution of all discriminatory crimes.

In recent years, there have been numerous highly publicized cases of discrimination in the Iranian American community. One situation involved the deportation of Iranian scientists who had traveled to the US on valid visas. Another alarming case is that of 23-year-old UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad who was brutally and unjustifiably tasered by UCLA Police Department officers. The employment website Monster.com was also found to be guilty of discrimination when it decided to remove the names of countries facing US sanctions from their “Target” and “Current” locations, in order to prevent Iranians from seeking employment.