US arrests Soleimani’s relatives as green cards are revoked
US arrests Soleimani’s relatives as green cards are revoked
US authorities detain Soleimani’s niece and grand-niece as green cards and asylum statuses are revoked, signaling a tougher stance on Iranian-linked immigration.
The United States has moved to detain Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, and her daughter after officials revoked their lawful permanent resident statuses. In a statement released on Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two were in the custody of ICE and pending removal from the United States. The announcement comes amid broader scrutiny of individuals tied to Tehran and renewed questions about asylum claims linked to Iranian officials.
Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s former most powerful military commander, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in 2020, an operation ordered by then-President Donald Trump. The new action targets relatives of the late general, with the state department describing the two women as green-card holders living lavishly in the United States.
Background details from U.S. officials show that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2015, received asylum in 2019, and obtained a green card in 2021. In a naturalisation application filed in 2025, she disclosed multiple trips to Iran since acquiring her green card, which the Department of Homeland Security contends undermines her asylum claims as fraudulent. Her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, arrived on a student visa in 2015, later received asylum in 2019, and then a green card in 2023. The DHS asserts that these travel patterns cast doubt on the legitimacy of their asylum status.
Soleimani Afshar’s daughter has publicly rejected the assertions, telling media that the allegations about her family’s ties to her father are false and that they have no connection to him. The State Department’s remarks—emphasizing the claim that the two are connected to the Iranian regime and have promoted regime propaganda on social media—form part of the rationale for their removal.
Observers note that this episode fits into a broader U.S. approach toward Iranian nationals connected to Tehran or its government, signaling a tougher line on immigration and security considerations tied to foreign officials and their families. The immediate focus remains on due process and the status of the individuals involved, as ICE carries out the removal process.
As this case unfolds, it highlights ongoing tensions in U.S. immigration policy where national security concerns intersect with asylum rules and the treatment of relatives tied to foreign government figures.
