The Biden administration has revoked the permanent resident status of two relatives of assassinated Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday, accusing the pair of celebrating attacks on American forces while living “lavishly” in the United States.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, and her daughter are now in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending deportation, according to a statement from Rubio.
The two individuals were arrested Friday night after Rubio said he withdrew their green cards earlier this week.
“Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States,” Rubio said in the statement. “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.'”
The State Department said Afshar was identified through media reports and her own social media activity, which allegedly included praise for Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the IRGC — a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“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 added. “The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
General Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020. The strike dramatically escalated tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Neither Afshar nor her daughter have publicly responded to the allegations. It remains unclear whether they will contest the revocation of their legal status through immigration courts.
The administration did not specify when the deportation would take place.
