Family of Iran military leader Soleimani has U.S. residence visas revoked

The niece and grand-niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani were arrested Friday nighttime aft their lawful U.S. imperishable nonmigratory presumption was terminated.

The State Department said Saturday successful a connection that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her girl are present successful the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Soleimani Afshar promoted Iranian authorities propaganda, celebrated attacks against U.S. forces successful the Middle East, and denounced America arsenic the "Great Satan," each portion "enjoying a lavish manner successful Los Angeles," the connection said. 

"As identified by some property reporting and her ain societal media commentary, Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken protagonist of the totalitarian, violent authorities successful Iran," the U.S. State Department said successful a statement.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Soleimani Afshar's 2019 asylum assertion was "fraudulent," citing astatine slightest 4 trips backmost to Iran aft being issued a greenish card. Her hubby has besides been barred from entering the U.S., the State Department said. The authorities is present moving to portion them of their greenish cards and yet deport them, DHS said.

A motion depicting President Trump, with the caption "you volition not erase our memory" successful Arabic, is displayed earlier a memorial depicting Qasem Soleimani, the slain commandant of the "Quds Force" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. AFP via Getty Images

"It is simply a privilege to beryllium granted a greenish paper to unrecorded successful the United States of America. If we person crushed to judge a greenish paper holder poses a menace to the U.S., the greenish paper volition beryllium revoked," a DHS spokesperson said successful a connection to CBS News. 

Iranian subject leader  Soleimani died successful a U.S. drone onslaught successful Iraq successful January 2020. He was the designer of Iran's determination subject activities and is hailed arsenic a nationalist icon among supporters of Iran's theocracy.

Relatively chartless successful Iran until the 2003 U.S. penetration of Iraq, Soleimani's popularity and mystique grew aft American officials called for his sidesplitting implicit his assistance successful arming militants with penetrating roadside bombs that killed and maimed U.S. troops.

A decennary and a fractional later, Soleimani had go Iran's astir recognizable battlefield commander, ignoring calls to participate authorities but increasing arsenic powerful, if not more, than its civilian leadership.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said helium besides terminated the ineligible presumption of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, girl of erstwhile Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Top Iranian information official Ali Larijani was killed successful an airstrike past month. His girl and hubby are nary longer successful the country.

"The Trump Administration volition not let our state to go a location for overseas nationals who enactment anti-American violent regimes," Rubio said successful a connection on X.

Rubio invoked the aforesaid seldom utilized powers past twelvemonth to warrant the detention and deportation of respective pro-Palestinian activists with ineligible status, including Columbia University pupil Mahmoud Khalil. Those efforts person been hindered by national tribunal lawsuits that allege Rubio's determinations penalized the activists' escaped speech.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.

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