By Obinna Uballa
The United States 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, saying the United States will not harbour foreign nationals who support what he described as anti-American regimes.
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.
“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 added that he had ordered the termination of their legal status and that both individuals are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending removal from the United States.
“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, adding that the Trump administration “will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”
The remarks followed a media note issued by the U.S. Department of State on Saturday confirming that federal agents arrested Afshar and her daughter after their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status was revoked.
According to the State Department, Afshar had used social media to promote Iranian government propaganda, praise the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington designates as a terrorist organisation, and celebrate attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East.
Officials also alleged that she publicly praised Iran’s leadership and expressed strong support for the regime while residing in Los Angeles.
In addition to the revocation of Afshar and her daughter’s residency status, U.S. authorities said her husband has been barred from entering the country.
The action forms part of a wider crackdown on individuals linked to senior Iranian officials. 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, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi.
Both individuals have since left the United States and have been barred from future entry.
