Federal agents arrested the niece and grandniece of the late Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Los Angeles on Saturday, the U.S. government said. The two women, identified by authorities as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the State Department moved to terminate their lawful permanent resident status.
The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the pair’s green cards and that the arrests followed that action, according to an emailed statement reported by Bloomberg. Bloomberg reported that both women are now in ICE custody.
What the State Department Says
The department accused Hamideh Soleimani Afshar of publicly promoting Iranian regime propaganda and of having “celebrated attacks against American soldiers and military facilities,” according to Just The News. That outlet reported that officials cited some of Afshar’s social media posts, including posts that have since been deleted, and that her husband has been barred from entering the United States.
Why It Hits Different in Los Angeles
The arrests landed in a city that has spent months trying to shield immigrants from federal enforcement. The Los Angeles City Council voted last year to strengthen immigrant protections and expand local legal services, moves city leaders framed as a response to stepped-up ICE activity. Local advocates say high-profile detentions like this one could chill public life and prompt protests or legal challenges.
Who Qasem Soleimani Was
Qasem Soleimani led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, an operation that sharply escalated tensions with Tehran, according to the BBC. His name continues to carry weight across the region and among many Iranian expatriates.
Legal and Policy Fallout
The arrests track with the administration’s broader “catch-and-revoke” approach: using diplomatic and immigration tools to strip status from people Washington says pose foreign policy risks, a tactic that has already drawn courtroom battles, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Courts have intervened to block or narrow some of those efforts, and civil liberties groups argue that these kinds of revocations raise First Amendment and due process concerns.
Officials have not said whether the arrests will lead to criminal charges, and federal authorities declined to provide additional details. Media outlets have reported that Afshar maintained an active social media presence and a high-end Los Angeles lifestyle before some accounts were removed, and coverage of those claims varies across reports, including reporting by the New York Post.
