U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the decision to revoke the green card of Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, a relative of slain Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, citing her alleged support for the Iranian regime.
In a post on X, Rubio said Afshar and her daughter had been living in the United States as lawful permanent residents before their legal status was terminated by the U.S. government.
“Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States,” Rubio wrote.
He noted that Afshar, the niece of the late Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, had publicly supported the Iranian government and celebrated attacks on Americans.
“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,’” Rubio said.
The secretary of state added that both Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after their lawful permanent resident status was revoked.
“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,” he said.
Rubio also stressed that the Trump administration would not allow individuals who support hostile regimes to remain in the country.
“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” he stated.
Earlier, the U.S. Department of State confirmed in a media note that federal agents arrested Afshar and her daughter following the termination of their lawful permanent resident status.
According to the department, Afshar allegedly used social media to promote Iranian government propaganda, praise the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-designated by the United States as a terrorist organisation- and celebrate attacks on American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East.
Officials also disclosed that Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the United States.
In a related move earlier this month, Rubio also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of former Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, along with her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Both individuals have since left the United States and have been barred from future entry.
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