The Trump administration revoked the green cards of the niece and grandniece of slain Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and took them into federal custody.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were arrested by federal agents after Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated their lawful permanent resident status, the State Department said Saturday. The two are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and face removal proceedings.
According to the State Department, Afshar publicly expressed support for Iran’s leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization. Officials said Afshar’s statements included praise for attacks on American troops in the Middle East and denunciations of the United States on social media.
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Rubio said in a post on X that Afshar and her daughter had been living in the United States as green card holders until their status was revoked this week.
“This week, I terminated both Afshar and her daughter’s legal status and they are now in ICE custody, pending removal from the United States,” Rubio wrote.
Afshar is the niece of Soleimani, the Iranian military commander killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term. U.S. officials described Afshar as an outspoken supporter of Iran’s government who referred to the United States as the “Great Satan” in online posts that have since been deleted.
The State Department said Afshar’s husband has also been barred from entering the United States.
Earlier this month, Rubio revoked the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of former Iranian official Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. The department said the couple is no longer in the United States and is barred from future entry.
“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” the State Department said in a statement, thanking the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for their cooperation.
The actions come amid heightened U.S. pressure on Iran. In separate remarks reported this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. military operations in the region have intensified, including the destruction of an Iranian warship named after Soleimani.
“The Iranian Navy rests at the bottom of the Persian Gulf,” Hegseth said, referring to the vessel.
The administration has framed the immigration actions and military operations as part of a broader effort to counter Iran’s influence and restrict access to the United States for individuals with ties to Tehran’s leadership.
