By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested the niece and grand-niece of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Qasem Soleimani on Friday, April 3, 2026. The high-profile enforcement action followed a decision by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke their lawful permanent resident status. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were taken into custody in Los Angeles by the agency, which serves as the interior immigration police for the United States.
Termination of Legal Residency
The State Department confirmed the arrests on Saturday in a formal statement detailing the shift in the women’s legal standing. Secretary Rubio exercised his authority to determine that the individuals were no longer eligible to remain in the country. “Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the statement confirmed. The administration also barred Afshar’s husband from entering the United States. Rubio later shared a statement on X, noting the pair were “green card holders living lavishly in the United States” before their status was rescinded.
Allegations of Regime Support
Federal officials cited Afshar’s public conduct as the primary motivation for the revocation of her residency. The State Department described her as an “outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran.” Investigators alleged that she utilized her social media platforms to promote “Iranian regime propaganda” and celebrate hostile actions against the United States. According to the Secretary of State, Afshar was “an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the ‘Great Satan’.” The Iranian mission to the U.N. had no comment Saturday.
The Legacy of Qasem Soleimani
The arrests bring renewed attention to the 2020 targeted killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani. As the leader of the elite Quds Force, the 62-year-old spearheaded Iranian military operations across the Middle East. He was killed at Baghdad airport in an air strike ordered by President Donald Trump. During a national address on Wednesday, the President reflected on the strike and the commander’s influence. “I killed Gen Qasem Soleimani in my first term. He was an evil genius, brilliant person, a horrible human being however, the father of the roadside bomb, and he lived just horrible, what he did,” Trump said. He further suggested that Iran would have been “perhaps in a far better, stronger position” in the war if Soleimani was still alive.
Broader Diplomatic and Security Crackdown
These arrests occur as regional tensions escalate following the start of active hostilities and a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iranian interests. This enforcement action is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to target individuals with ties to the Iranian government. Rubio recently revoked the visas of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, an academic and the daughter of Iran’s former national security adviser Ali Larijani, who was killed in a U.S.-Israel airstrike last month. Her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi, also saw his legal status terminated. These measures follow the December removal of several Iranian diplomats and staffers at the United Nations mission. Rubio emphasized the administration’s stance on social media, stating, “The Trump administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
Escalation in the 2026 Conflict
The detention of Soleimani’s relatives follows the recent death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a large-scale U.S.-Israeli air attack. Intelligence reports suggest Afshar utilized social media to praise the new Iranian leadership following that strike. U.S. officials pointed to her Instagram account as evidence of her continued “unflinching support” for the IRGC. These legal maneuvers coincide with a broader administrative push to vet and remove foreign nationals deemed sympathetic to hostile regimes. Public health institutions and major transit hubs in Iran have also faced recent strikes, further straining the relationship between Washington and Tehran.
Diplomatic Implications and National Security
The revocation of legal status for family members of foreign officials signals a shift in U.S. policy toward holding non-combatant affiliates accountable for regime associations. While the State Department maintains these actions are necessary for national security and public safety, they also highlight the narrowing window for diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran. As the removal proceedings move forward, the legal and political ramifications of targeting relatives of high-ranking foreign adversaries will likely face scrutiny from international legal observers and human rights advocates. This strategy emphasizes a policy of “maximum pressure” that extends beyond military targets to include the social and legal standing of regime-connected individuals residing abroad.
