Rubio revokes green cards for Qasem Soleimani relatives

thebesig | April 5, 2026 | 18 Comments

Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the green cards for a couple of Qasem Soleimani’s relatives in the U.S. Soleimani was the Revolutionary Guard corps major general taken out during the first Trump presidency. The relatives were Soleimani’s niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and her daughter. Both were taken into custody and are currently being held by ICE. Afshar was reported to have continued to be a supporter of Iran’s totalitarian government.

From Fox News:

“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.”

In January 2020, a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad killed Soleimani during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

While living in the U.S., Afshar “promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised the new Iranian Supreme Leader, denounced America as the ‘Great Satan,’ and voiced her unflinching support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terrorist organization,” the State Department said.

“[Afshar] pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account,” the department said.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers arrested Afshar and her daughter Friday in Los Angeles.

DHS said Afshar entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in June 2015, was granted asylum in 2019 and became a green card holder in 2021 under the Biden administration.

“In July 2025, she filed a naturalization application, where she disclosed she traveled to Iran at least four times since being issued a green card. Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News.

Her daughter entered the U.S. on a student visa in July 2015, was granted asylum in 2019 and became a green card holder in 2023, according to DHS.

“It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America,” the spokesperson added. “If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked.”

Additional Reading:

Compton, S., & Melugin, B. (2026, April 4). ICE arrests relatives of slain Iranian general Soleimani living in US after Rubio revokes their green cards. Fox News. Link.