LOS ANGELES (Azat TV) – Federal immigration authorities detained the niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani in Los Angeles on April 5, 2026. The arrests follow a decisive move by the U.S. State Department to terminate the lawful permanent resident status of Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, amid allegations that they maintained a lavish lifestyle in the United States while actively promoting anti-American propaganda.
Visa Revocations and Asylum Fraud Allegations
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the residency status of both women was revoked following investigations into their ties to the Iranian regime. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, who initially entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2015, had been granted asylum in 2019 and attained green card status by 2021. However, federal authorities revealed that during a 2025 naturalization application, she disclosed multiple trips back to Iran, a revelation that DHS officials stated rendered her initial asylum claims fraudulent.
Her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, who entered the country in 2015 on a student visa, was also granted asylum in 2019 and received a green card in 2023. Both individuals are currently in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending forced removal from the country.
Regime Support and Public Rhetoric
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the decision to expel the relatives was driven by evidence that they were “living lavishly” in the U.S. while simultaneously using social media to celebrate attacks on American military personnel and facilities. According to the State Department, Afshar acted as an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime, frequently denouncing the United States as the “Great Satan” and voicing support for the IRGC, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
The crackdown is part of a broader shift in U.S. immigration policy regarding the families of high-ranking foreign adversaries. Beyond the Soleimani family, the U.S. has recently terminated the legal status of other individuals linked to the upper echelons of the Iranian government, including the daughter of former Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani. Those individuals have already departed the country and are now barred from future entry.
National Security and Immigration Stakes
The arrests underscore increasing pressure from the Trump administration to purge the U.S. of foreign nationals who maintain deep ties to regimes actively hostile to American interests. While Soleimani’s immediate family has contested the State Department’s claims, asserting that the detained individuals have no operational connection to the late commander, federal officials maintain that the combination of ideological alignment with a terror-sponsoring regime and the misuse of U.S. asylum pathways necessitates their removal.
The systematic removal of individuals linked to the Iranian leadership signals a transition toward a more aggressive vetting process for asylum seekers, prioritizing national security over established legal residency when evidence suggests that the beneficiary remains an active instrument or proponent of a hostile foreign state.