In a move that has ignited debate over national security, immigration, and free speech, U.S. authorities have arrested two relatives of the late Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in Los Angeles, stripping them of their permanent residency and placing them in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The action, announced by the State Department on April 4, 2026, comes amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran, now in its sixth week, and reflects mounting pressure to expel individuals with ties to the Iranian regime.
The two women, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar—identified as Soleimani’s niece—and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, had been living in Los Angeles and reportedly enjoying a lavish lifestyle, according to statements from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department. Both were arrested by ICE agents on the night of April 3, 2026, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their green cards, citing their support for the Iranian regime and promotion of propaganda hostile to the U.S.
“While living in the United States, she 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 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization,” stated a letter from the State Department, as reported by multiple outlets including Fox News and BBC.
Afshar entered the U.S. in June 2015 on a tourist visa, was granted asylum in 2019, and received her green card in 2021 under the Biden administration, according to DHS records. Her daughter arrived in July 2015 on a student visa and became a green card holder in 2023. Both women’s legal status was revoked by Secretary Rubio on April 4, 2026, and they are now pending removal from the country. In addition, Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the U.S., officials confirmed.
The case has drawn attention not just for its high-profile connections but also for the public persona maintained by Afshar. The State Department and DHS highlighted her “lavish lifestyle” in Los Angeles, frequently documented on a now-deleted Instagram account. “Afshar pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles,” the State Department said, as reported by Fox News.
Afshar’s travels have also raised eyebrows among officials. According to DHS, she made at least four trips back to Iran after receiving her green card, details she disclosed in a naturalization application filed in July 2025. “Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News. The spokesperson added, “It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the US, the green card will be revoked.”
The arrests come at a tense moment in U.S.-Iran relations, with the joint U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran intensifying since hostilities broke out on February 28, 2026. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has taken a hardline stance against Iranian influence, celebrated the removal order on social media, writing, “This week, I terminated both Afshar and her daughter’s legal status. She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the ‘Great Satan’.” According to Reuters, Rubio emphasized that “the Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
The situation has not unfolded without controversy. Narjes Soleimani, daughter of the late Qasem Soleimani, issued a statement denying any familial connection between her father and the arrested women. “The individuals arrested in the US have no connection whatsoever to Martyr Soleimani and the claims made by the US State Department are false,” she said, adding that the U.S. had “become so weak and insignificant that by fabricating lies against a great figure.”
Public pressure has played a notable role in driving these removals. Conservative activists and political figures have called for the expulsion of relatives of Iranian officials residing in the U.S., particularly as the war has heightened scrutiny of any perceived security risks. An online petition demanding Afshar’s deportation reportedly gained more than 4,000 signatures after the conflict began, according to Al Jazeera.
This is not the first time in recent weeks that the U.S. government has taken action against family members of senior Iranian officials. In late March 2026, the State Department terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of the late Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 17, 2026. Both she and her husband were barred from re-entering the U.S. after a similar wave of public outcry and petitions, some of which amassed more than 150,000 signatures. Ardeshir-Larijani had previously worked in oncology at Emory University in Georgia, but following Iran’s crackdown on antigovernment protesters, demonstrators gathered at the university to demand her removal, and she was no longer employed there as of January, according to The Emory Wheel.
Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter of Georgia echoed these sentiments, stating, “America’s medical institutions must not serve as a safe harbor for individuals connected by blood and loyalty to regimes that openly call for the death of Americans. Patient safety, public trust, and national security demand decisive action now.”
The revocation of legal status for Afshar, Hosseiny, and Ardeshir-Larijani’s family underscores the complex intersection of national security concerns, immigration law, and the rights of individuals with familial connections to adversarial regimes. Some critics have questioned whether family members should be punished for their relations, and the move has sparked debate about the boundaries of free speech for foreign nationals in the U.S. The State Department, however, maintains that support for designated terrorist organizations and open celebration of attacks against Americans are grounds for revocation of residency status.
Qasem Soleimani, the figure at the center of these controversies, led Iran’s Quds Force—the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—until his assassination in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020. President Donald Trump, who ordered the strike, later described Soleimani as “an evil genius, brilliant person, a horrible human being… the father of the roadside bomb.” Trump asserted that Iran “would have been perhaps in a far better, stronger position” in the current conflict if Soleimani were still alive, as reported by BBC.
As the U.S. continues to grapple with the fallout from conflict with Iran, the fate of Afshar, Hosseiny, and others in similar positions remains undecided. The case has become a flashpoint for broader questions about security, justice, and the American values of due process and free expression. For now, the two women remain in ICE custody, awaiting removal, as the administration signals a continued hard line on individuals it deems supportive of hostile foreign regimes.
With the war showing no signs of abating and public sentiment running high, the story of Qasem Soleimani’s relatives in America is far from over—serving as both a symbol of the complexities of modern immigration and a reminder of the enduring shadows cast by global conflict.