Family Members Chanting “Death to America,” Outraged Over Visa Cancellation

Democrats are criticizing Secretary of State Marco Rubio over his decision to strip immigration protections from relatives of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, arguing the move represents an overreach of executive authority. Rubio and his allies, however, have maintained that U.S. immigration law allows action against individuals who are seen as supporting or aligned with terrorist organizations.

At the center of the case are Soleimani’s niece and her daughter, who were taken into custody by federal immigration authorities after their lawful permanent resident status was revoked. The elder woman, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, first entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2015, later receiving asylum in 2019 and a green card in 2021. Her daughter arrived on a student visa the same year and also obtained asylum in 2019 before becoming a permanent resident in 2023. In a 2025 application for citizenship, Afshar disclosed multiple trips back to Iran after becoming a green card holder, which the Department of Homeland Security said undermined her asylum claim.

Federal officials also alleged that Afshar publicly expressed support for Iran’s government, including praising attacks on U.S. military targets in the Middle East, endorsing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and using rhetoric such as referring to the United States as the “Great Satan.” Authorities said these views were documented through media reporting and her own social media activity, which was deleted after her arrest.

Both women are currently being held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in South Texas while they await deportation proceedings.

In a separate action, Rubio also revoked visas belonging to Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, an academic who previously worked in oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, along with her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Both individuals have since left the United States and are now barred from returning. Ardeshir-Larijani is the daughter of former Iranian national security official Ali Larijani, who was killed in a U.S.-Israel airstrike.

Her employment at Emory became the focus of public protests during periods of unrest in Iran, leading to calls for her removal. She ultimately left the university role in early 2026. A large online petition demanding her deportation also gathered more than 150,000 signatures. Around the same time, the State Department also moved to revoke or decline renewal of visas for multiple Iranian diplomats stationed at the United Nations.

Some U.S. lawmakers and political commentators, including Republican Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter and Trump ally Laura Loomer, publicly supported the visa actions and called for additional penalties, including professional consequences within the United States for individuals tied to Iranian officials.

The legal authority cited for these immigration decisions includes sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act allowing removal of lawful permanent residents if their presence is deemed to pose serious foreign policy concerns, as well as inadmissibility provisions tied to national security and foreign policy impact. These powers were expanded after 9/11 and are rarely used to revoke green card status.

In addition, Presidential Proclamation 10998, issued under INA authority and taking effect January 1, 2026, suspended entry and visa issuance for Iranian nationals. A broader policy also paused immigrant visa processing for multiple countries, including Iran.

USCIS policy directives further placed indefinite holds on immigration benefits for individuals from fully restricted countries, effectively blocking most pathways for Iranians already in the U.S. seeking to adjust their status.

Officials involved in the case also pointed to a higher legal threshold requiring direct certification from the Secretary of State when speech or associations are involved, but argued the decision in this instance was also supported by claims of fraud in the asylum process and alleged support for a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Human rights groups have raised concerns that these measures may unfairly affect individuals with indirect or familial ties to foreign governments and could raise due process issues. Iranian officials have condemned the actions as politically motivated and described them as collective punishment.

The State Department stated on April 4, 2026, that President Trump’s administration “will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”