ICE Detains Soleimani’s Niece After Green Card Revocation

LOS ANGELES (Azat TV) – Federal immigration agents took Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter into custody in Los Angeles on April 3, 2026, following the immediate revocation of their legal permanent resident status. The arrests mark a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to remove individuals with ties to the Iranian leadership from the United States.

Revocation of Residency Amid Security Concerns

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he personally terminated the green cards held by Afshar, who is the niece of the late Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani. According to a formal statement from the U.S. State Department, the decision was driven by evidence that Afshar had engaged in the promotion of Iranian regime propaganda. Officials specifically cited her vocal support for the IRGC—a designated terrorist organization—and her public celebrations of attacks directed against U.S. military personnel and facilities in the Middle East.

In addition to the ideological grounds for the revocation, the Department of Homeland Security alleged that Afshar’s 2019 asylum application was fraudulent. Investigators determined that she had made at least four return trips to Iran after obtaining her status, contradicting the claims of persecution she originally provided to U.S. authorities. As part of the same enforcement action, the State Department has barred Afshar’s husband from future entry into the United States.

Strategic Targeting of Iranian Leadership Relatives

The detention of the Soleimani relatives follows a broader pattern of administrative action against individuals linked to the Iranian government. Earlier this month, the administration stripped the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of former Iranian security official Ali Larijani, and her husband. Both were subsequently deported. These actions have drawn intense scrutiny, with some legal experts and civil rights groups questioning whether the revocation of immigration status on the basis of political speech sets a restrictive precedent for future national security policies.

The administration has remained firm in its stance, framing the move as a necessary security measure. “The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” the State Department stated. Social media activity by Afshar, which officials described as characterizing the United States as the ‘Great Satan’ while maintaining a high-end lifestyle in Los Angeles, served as a primary trigger for the rapid processing of her case.

The Intersection of Policy and Public Pressure

The removal of these individuals has been heavily influenced by a combination of internal intelligence gathering and intensified public pressure from conservative activists. The case of Ardeshir-Larijani, for instance, saw a massive petition campaign directed at her employer, Emory University, which ultimately preceded her departure from the country. Similarly, the current case against Afshar highlights the administration’s willingness to utilize its discretionary authority to target the families of high-ranking Iranian figures who are perceived as complicit in the regime’s regional military activities.

The rapid revocation of residency for the relatives of Iranian officials represents a shift in U.S. immigration enforcement, where political alignment and family association are being weighted as heavily as traditional visa compliance, signaling a departure from prior norms regarding the separation of personal status from foreign policy objectives.