The niece and grand-niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani were arrested Friday night after their lawful U.S. permanent resident status was terminated.
The State Department said Saturday in a statement that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Soleimani Afshar promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, and denounced America as the “Great Satan,” all while “enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles,” the statement said.
“As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary, Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
CBS News confirmed Monday that Soleimani Afshar is being held in ICE detention at its detention facility in Pearsall, Texas, where detainees await legal proceedings or deportation. It wasn’t immediately clear whether her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, is being held at the same facility.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Soleimani Afshar’s 2019 asylum claim was “fraudulent,” citing at least four trips back to Iran after being issued a green card. Her husband has also been barred from entering the U.S., the State Department said. The government is now moving to strip them of their green cards and ultimately deport them, DHS said.