Zohreh Mizrahi Honored as a Distinguished Member by the Pacific Council on International Policy

Ms. Zohreh Mizrahi is a Senior Partner, heading the immigration department, at the Law Offices of Mike S. Manesh. Zohreh’s compassionate and fearless advocacy for immigrants throughout the years has made the Law Offices of Mike S. Manesh one of the preeminent immigration law firms in the United States.

Zohreh began her career in law in 1990, with a primary focus on representing Middle Eastern victims of persecution caught in the US Immigration system. Early into her career, Zohreh began to make significant headways in the Legal Immigration Community. She simultaneously gained fame, notoriety, respect and trust within the Iranian community by responding to individuals and simplifying complex legal terminology via radio in fluent Farsi. Zohreh helped strengthen her rapport in the immigrant community by helping to establish a number of non-profit organizations with the aim of improving community relations, mentoring newly-arrived immigrants, and assisting less advantaged members of the Community. Among her greatest endeavors, she collaborated with the Iranian Political Education Committee in organizing a campaign to naturalize hundreds of Iranians in Los Angeles County. Zohreh donates her personal and professional time to representing individuals facing imminent deportation, detention and incarceration.

Zohreh has established a solid and respectful reputation with the Immigration Judicial Bench, and acts as a consultant to many Judges on non-litigation Immigration issues and Iran’s Country conditions. After 9/11, Zohreh shifted her professional focus to safeguarding the liberties of individuals caught in the legal system under the new Immigration and National Security Policy and raising cultural awareness within US law enforcement system. She was invited to become a member of the Iranian-American Advisory Council to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where she was tasked with bridging the gap between law enforcement agencies and cultural particulars. She has since gone on to chair the Council. Zohreh joined the Reserved Forces of The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 2008.

What do you believe is currently the most pressing foreign policy issue?

The most pressing foreign policy with which we are currently faced include the rise of religious fanaticism, as well as the western powers’ approach to creating a dialogue with democratic systems in the aftermath of  unprecedented removal of old regimes.

What is your greatest accomplishment in the realm of international relations?

Due to the sensitive nature of my work as an immigration attorney and human rights activist, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with people representing countries, cultures, and religions from around the world.  I noticed that within the international community there were certain injustices occurring in parts of the world where individuals lacked a legal voice to protect themselves. Legal action became the only way to fight these inhumane realities.

If I may exemplify a case that I worked on, The Estate of Bayani versus The Islamic Republic of Iran, it took an unfortunate execution of a dual American-Iranian citizen by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the world to learn about human rights violations and legal precedents to further protect individuals as stated in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article III of the U.N. Convention Against Torture, and the exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act.  It took a legal approach of utilizing mechanisms within the law and identifying an innovative legal procedure in the court of law for international governments to understand that their illegal, inhumane, and unjust actions cannot be performed without international and legal repercussions.

What are you reading right now?

Pushing The Limits; Life of Frank Lowy By Jill Margo.

What are some of your favorite global resources online?

NPR, Voice of Israel, and BBC.

Why did you become a member of the Pacific Council?

On a personal level, my friendship with Dr. Jerrold Green and Carl Covitz, who were very active and extremely knowledgeable about world issues and professionally. After attending several events as a guest, I closely observed a higher level of intellectual exchange between the membership and the guest speakers. The Pacific Council facilitates a forum for first-hand information and in-depth analysis of issues. An added factor is how the world leaders do seek opinion of PCIP on strategic issues and diplomacy.

Follow Zohreh on Twitter @ZohrehMizrahi

Please visit the Pacific Council’s Distinguished Member Spotlight on Ms. Mizrahi http://www.pacificcouncil.org/zohrehmizrahi

Are you affected with Immigration-related Concerns Resulting from OFAC Regulations?

Immigration Issues with Respect to the U.S. OFAC Sanctions against Iran

Presently, immigrating to the U.S. is not an easy task due to: the current global climate; and as a result of the U.S. Sanctions against Foreign Countries, including but limited to, Iran.

The sanctions were implemented as a response to the presence of nuclear weapons in Iran, and as a penalty for Iran’s support for the international terrorism. The U.S. has begun to strictly enforce the sanctions, and hence prohibitions concerning the goods, services, and technology to or from Iran have surfaced.

The question thus becomes, how do these sanctions affect current immigration issues and what is the connection between immigrating to the U.S. with regard to the OFAC Sanctions?

While the U.S. holds economic sanctions against countries such as Burma, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and many others, the sanctions against Iran raise significant issues with respect to the realm of immigration. Questions arise as individuals, who may or may not be Iranian-American citizens yet, but who have assets in the U.S. and/or Iran, want to eventually import or export their assets. The typical length of time it takes to be granted an OFAC license, if so administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, can take as long as six months. The issue here is that, the time it takes to be granted an OFAC license is less than it takes to become a U.S. citizen, and in this case, an Iranian-American citizen. Therefore, individuals seeking U.S, citizenship run into immigration issues while trying to immigrate to the U.S. a simple visa.  Thus, a popular method for gaining U.S. citizenship, in order to eventually obtain an OFAC license, is immigrating to the U.S. via Investment, or commonly known as, an EB-5 Investment Visa.

Zohreh Mizrahi honored in Javanan Magazine!

Enjoy an except from Javanan Magazine in which Ms. Mizrahi was honored by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department: http://www.javanan.com/2011-03-10-20-36-42

Conference with U.S. Department of State and Treasury Representatives Regarding U.S. Economic Sanctions (I.T.R.)

The May 11th Seminar on U.S. Trade Sanctions regarding Iran.

During the Seminar sponsored by the Law Offices of Mike S. Manesh, representatives from the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury, as well as Attorney Mike Manesh, spoke in depth about issues concerning U.S. Trade Sanctions and the new various developments. Dr. Zohreh Mizrahi served as the moderator of the event.

Over four hundred guests attended this free seminar held at the Olympic Collection.

Members of the audience were given binders containing informative handouts regarding the issues discussed throughout the seminar. Attendees also had the opportunity to write down and hand in any questions.

The three main topics of discussion included the Iranian Transaction Regulations (I.T.R), International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The U.S. Department of State representative discussed the history of I.T.R. and the  U.S. Department of Treasury representative spoke about the issuance of OFAC licenses.

Mr. Manesh explained in detail the specifics of how the government recognizes illegal dealings between Iran and America and also addressed the necessary criteria for obtaining an OFAC license. Additionally, he summarized the respective laws.

Mr. Manesh also touched on the penalties relating to violations of I.T.R., which include both civil and criminal charges. The I.T.R.’s Investigations include Administrative subpoenas issued by OFAC, which usually allow only 30 days to respond.

After a brief intercession, Dr. Mizrahi read aloud the audiences questions and the representatives answered as many as they could for the rest of the seminar.

Questions included the following: “Is it possible to obtain a license to transfer rents from a family owned property from Iran to the U.S.?”, “Is there any specific list of medical commodities that are allowed to be exported from the U.S. to Iran?”, and “Do you have to obtain a separate license each time you want to import funds into the U.S.?”

Overall, the seminar created a greater awareness to the public, especially the Iranian-American community, about the U.S. sanctions as well as the implications of engaging in transactions prohibited by OFAC.

New Developments: U.S. Trade Sanctions

UPDATES! The conference is approaching…May 11, 2011 from 6:00-8:30pm

An educational conference including representatives from the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, and Justice, and the Law Offices of Mike S. Manesh. This conference aims to spread awareness about these sanctions in the Iranian-American community and will address the implications of engaging in transactions prohibited by OFAC. Seating is limited, to RSVP contact Irene at (310) 843-9292.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS: U.S. TRADE SANCTIONS SEMINAR

NEW DEVELOPMENTS: U.S. TRADE SANCTIONS

Iranian Transactions Regulations (I.T.R.)

International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

An informative conference including representatives from the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, and Justice, and the Law Offices of Mike S. Manesh is taking place on Wednesday, May11, 2011 at the Olympic Collection, located at 11301 Olympic Blvd., # 204, West Los Angeles, CA 90064 from 6:00-8:30 PM. Seating is limited & reservation is necessary. To RSVP please contact Irene at (310) 843-9292.

Seminar Flyer