US Arrests Relatives of Iranian General Soleimani

US authorities arrested Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, and her daughter Sarinasadat Hosseiny in Los Angeles after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their green cards. Both women are now in custody pending removal from the country.

According to a statement released by the State Department on Saturday, Afshar was accused of promoting Iranian regime propaganda on social media while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles. The Trump administration also barred Afshar’s husband from entering the US. Gen Soleimani was killed in 2020 during President Donald Trump's first term and was widely considered Iran's most powerful military commander.

Photos obtained by Fox News Digital offer a rare glimpse into the high-end lifestyle of Afshar and her daughter, showing them posing in designer outfits on yachts, helicopters, jet-skis, and lounging in scantily clad swimwear. The images also reveal their residence, a modest Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) behind a half-million-dollar property bought by Afshar in 2021.

In addition to Afshar and her family, the Trump administration terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of a former senior Iranian official, and her husband. Both have since departed the US and are under a permanent entry ban. The arrests come amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.

The State Department described Soleimani Afshar as “an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran”. It added that such speech would not be tolerated under President Donald Trump. However, Iranian media quoted Soleimani’s daughter, Zeinab Soleimani, as issuing a denial that the two women arrested had any ties whatsoever to the late Quds Force leader.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it had discovered "significant national security and public safety risks" in U.S. vetting processes, calling the system "wholly inadequate," just days before the arrests of Soleimani’s relatives. The agency said that "many applicants for naturalization and lawful permanent residence were not sufficiently vetted." As a result, USCIS said applications were approved and individuals were naturalized who "should not have been."

In light of these risks, USCIS announced that the agency was issuing a hold and review of all pending asylum applications and benefit applications filed by aliens from high-risk countries. USCIS said the hold and review was in accordance with several executive orders and presidential proclamations by Trump mandating stricter screening and vetting.

Then, on Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he had revoked green cards belonging to Soleimani’s grandniece after their association with the notorious Iranian military leader was discovered. Rubio said that Soleimani Afshar "is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the 'Great Satan.'" He said that both were in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending removal.

According to Acting Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, Soleimani Afshar entered the US in June 2015 on a tourist visa, while her daughter, Hosseiny, entered in July 2015 on a student visa. Both were granted asylum status by a judge in 2019 and became green card holders under the Biden administration in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

Bis emphasized that "it is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America." She added that "if we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked."