Two women tied to soleimani — Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter — had their U.S. permanent residency revoked and were arrested Friday night, U.S. officials said. Both women are now being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal, the State Department announced Saturday.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar Arrest Details
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar was arrested Friday night after Marco Rubio said he had terminated her and her daughter’s legal status; the State Department followed on Saturday by announcing the revocations and the arrests. "Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the State Department said, and added the pair had lived in Los Angeles for many years.
Marco Rubio Legal Termination Post
Marco Rubio posted that, "This week, I terminated both Afshar and her daughter’s legal status." Rubio added, "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 framed the move as part of a broader stance, writing the U.S. "will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes."
U.S. State Department Findings
U.S. State Department officials described Afshar as "an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran" and said she maintained a "lavish lifestyle" in Los Angeles while publicly celebrating military strikes against American personnel and praising Iran's new supreme leader. The department said the revocations are part of a series of actions this month; similar action was taken earlier against Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi.
Zeinab Soleimani issued a denial quoted in Iranian media, saying, "The individuals arrested in the United States have no connection whatsoever to martyr Soleimani, and the claim made by the US State Department is false." The State Department and Rubio, by contrast, tied the revocations to Afshar’s alleged social-media statements and public praise for attacks on Americans.
Two women are currently held by ICE and are, according to reporting, "pending removal" from the United States; the exact timeline for any deportation proceedings was not provided in the official statements. Afshar’s husband is separately barred from entering the United States, and officials said this round of revocations includes at least four Iranian nationals with links to Iranian government figures.
Friday night arrests, a Saturday State Department announcement, and Rubio’s social-media post together record the immediate actions; what remains unknown in the public record is the scheduled timing for removal hearings or deportation dates for Afshar and her daughter, and whether criminal charges will be filed. The State Department described this as the second known instance this month of revoking legal status from people linked to Iranian officials.
Those directly affected should note: the confirmed facts are that the two women are in ICE custody and reported as pending removal, Afshar’s husband is barred from entry, and U.S. officials cite her public support for Iran and posts praising attacks as the basis for the revocations. The statements do not specify legal deadlines or appeal timelines; those details have not been released.
