US Revokes Green Cards of Iran-Linked Individuals, Detains Them
Washington DC: The US State Department has revoked the lawful permanent resident (LPR) status of some foreign nationals accused of supporting the Iranian regime. They were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after their green card status expired.
According to a statement made on Saturday, the decision was made at the direction of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after which ICE agents arrested them on Friday.
The State Department identified one of them as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) Major General Qasem Soleimani. She and her daughter were detained after their LPR status was revoked.
Rubio described Afshar as an “outspoken supporter” of the Iranian regime who allegedly spread propaganda for the Iranian regime while living in the United States. Authorities claimed he celebrated attacks on American military personnel and expressed support for the Revolutionary Guard, which Washington has designated a terrorist organization.
In the statement of the ministry, it was stated that Afshar used social media to support pro-Iran regime discourses, praised the Iranian leadership, criticized the USA and supported the Revolutionary Guards.
Authorities also alleged that Afshar was maintaining an affluent lifestyle in Los Angeles while spreading such content online. Her husband was also banned from entering the United States.
In addition to revoking Afshar and her daughter’s LPR status, authorities also banned her husband from entering the country in the future, the statement said.
Qassem Soleimani was killed along with several others, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.
In another move earlier this month, Rubio also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of former Iranian official Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Both are currently outside the United States and have been barred from re-entry.
It was reported that Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran last month.
The State Department said the actions reflected ongoing efforts to protect national security and thanked the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for their coordination.
Rubio said in a post on X that the administration will not allow the United States to become a safe haven for people who support anti-American regimes.
This development took place at a time when tensions between the United States and Iran were increasing, with Washington adopting a stricter stance against those affiliated with Iran’s political and military structure.
