Nirav Sheth
Role at the time: Republican candidate for U.S. House in Washington's 7th district, in an emailed statement from his campaign
Statement summary
Nirav Sheth, the Republican candidate challenging Rep. Pramila Jayapal in Washington's 7th Congressional District, declined in an emailed statement to state a position on the detention and removal proceedings of Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi and their son, or on whether he would support congressional oversight or a public accounting from ICE and the State Department. His campaign said it does not comment on individual immigration cases without comprehensive information.
“My campaign generally does not comment on individual immigration cases without comprehensive information. ... Therefore, we will decline to comment further on this specific case.”
Read the full email
Hi Ben, Thanks for reaching out about this matter. My campaign generally does not comment on individual immigration cases without comprehensive information. As a candidate, my focus regarding immigration is on broad policy changes that promote fairness and accountability. Therefore, we will decline to comment further on this specific case. Sincerely, Nirav Sheth Candidate, Washington's 7th Congressional District
Emailed reply from Nirav Sheth's campaign, a Republican candidate challenging Rep. Pramila Jayapal in Washington's 7th Congressional District, to a Dispute Index question asking his position on the detention and removal proceedings of Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi and their son, and whether he would support congressional oversight or a public accounting from ICE and the State Department if elected.
Why we used this label
Dispute Index asked Sheth directly for his position on the family's detention and removal proceedings and whether he would support congressional oversight. His campaign explicitly declined to answer, saying it does not comment on individual immigration cases and "will decline to comment further on this specific case." That is a direct refusal to address the matter at issue, not a substantive position, so we labeled it Explicitly Declines.