The niece and grand-niece of a notorious late Iranian general have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles and had their green cards revoked.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, who was not named, were detained by ICE on Friday while living the high life in the City of Angels.
The pair had celebrated the deaths of US soldiers during President Donald Trump‘s ongoing war with Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Rubio added that the mother and daughter’s permanent residence status that allowed them to live indefinitely in the United States was revoked and that they will be deported at the first available opportunity.
He wrote: ‘Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, pictured, and her daughter have both been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in LA and had their green cards revoked over their alleged celebration of the deaths of US soldiers in Iran
Afshar is the niece of the notorious late Iranian general Qasem Soleimani (pictured), who was killed by a US drone strike at Baghdad Airport in January 2020
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the two women’s arrest and impending removal from the United States on his X account on Saturday
‘Afshar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. 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.
‘The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.’
Afshar is the niece of Qasem Soleimani.
He was one of Iran’s most powerful military figures and was the commander of the Quds force when he was killed by a US drone strike at Baghdad Airport in January 2020.
A press release issued by the State Department further accused Afshar of ‘promoting Iranian regime propaganda’, and said she had ‘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.’
Rubio said his department had been alerted to Afshar’s antics by her posts about Iran and the United States on her since-deleted Instagram account.
It is unclear how long she had been living in the United States for and how old her daughter is.
Afshar’s anti-American rhetoric stepped up in recent weeks, after President Trump began bombing Iran on February 28.
The country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in the US-Israel bombardment which has triggered international chaos.
Trump has said he will resume bombing within 48 hours if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping channel that much of the world’s oil supply must pass through.
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