Nieces of Late Iranian General Arrested by ICE after Celebrating Deaths of US Soldier

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter Sarinasadat Hosseiny in Los Angeles on Friday.

The pair, niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, had their green cards revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They are now in ICE custody and face deportation.

Rubio announced the move on Saturday, describing Afshar as an outspoken backer of the Iranian regime. He said she celebrated attacks on American soldiers and military targets during the current US operations against Iran and repeatedly called the United States the “Great Satan.”

“Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States,” Rubio stated. “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 has made clear it will not tolerate foreign nationals who support regimes it labels as terrorist organisations. Afshar’s husband has also been barred from entering America.

Soleimani, killed in a 2020 US drone strike in Baghdad ordered by then-President Trump, remains a revered figure in parts of Iran. His relatives had enjoyed permanent resident status in the US for years while maintaining strong public support for Tehran.

Social media posts, now deleted, reportedly showed the family’s upscale lifestyle in Los Angeles, including travels across the country. Officials cited these as evidence of the contradiction between their public statements and their comfortable life in America.

The arrests come amid ongoing US military pressure on Iran, which began late February. Washington says the campaign targets Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities.

Immigration experts note the case highlights stricter scrutiny of green card holders linked to adversarial governments. For many Nigerians in the diaspora, who often hold or seek similar status, the development underscores how quickly legal residency can be reviewed when national security is invoked.