Washington: US federal agents have arrested the niece and nephew of the late Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their lawful permanent resident status, the State Department said Saturday.
“Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the State Department said in a statement, also saying Rubio revoked their green cards. Soleimani was killed in a January 2020 airstrike in Baghdad during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
The State Department said Afshar supported the Iranian government and its propaganda. He also said Afshar’s husband was barred from entering the United States. The ban came as the US-Israel war against Iran entered its sixth week.
The State Department added that earlier this month, Rubio terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Ardeshir-Larijani and Motamedi are no longer in the United States and are barred from future entry, according to the State Department.
Ali Larijani, an architect of Iran’s security policy, was killed in mid-March by a US-Israeli airstrike. In his second term in office, the Trump administration has stepped up deportation efforts against immigrants it calls threats.
Rights advocates have raised concerns about free speech and due process. Many immigrants detained by ICE have been released following court orders.
