ICE arrests relatives of slain Iranian general Soleimani living in US after Rubio revokes their green cards
Two relatives of slain Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani living in Los Angeles were taken into custody by federal agents after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their green cards, officials said.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar — identified as Soleimani’s niece — and her daughter were arrested and are now being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a Saturday announcement from the State Department.
The Trump administration says Afshar has been a supporter of Iran’s "totalitarian, terrorist" regime.
"Afshar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani," Rubio wrote on X. "She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the 'Great Satan.'"
"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 Saturday.
In January 2020, a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad killed Soleimani during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
While living in the U.S., Afshar "promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the 'Great Satan,' and voiced her unflinching support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terrorist organization," the State Department said.
"[Afshar] pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account," the department said.
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According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers arrested Afshar and her daughter on Friday in Los Angeles.
DHS said Afshar entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in June 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a green card holder in 2021 under the Biden administration.
"In July 2025, she filed a naturalization application where she disclosed, she traveled to Iran at least four times since being issued a green card. Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News.
Her daughter entered the U.S. on a student visa in July 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a green card holder in 2023, according to DHS.
"It is a privilege to be granted green card to live in the United States of America," the spokesperson added. "If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked."
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In addition to revoking Afshar and her daughter’s lawful permanent resident status, officials said Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the U.S.
Earlier this month, the State Department also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani — the daughter of a former senior Iranian official — and her husband.
Both are no longer in the U.S. and are barred from reentry.
"The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes," the announcement said.
The State Department and ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.