The niece and grandniece of Qasem Soleimani, the late head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who flaunted their flamboyant lifestyles in Los Angeles had their green cards revoked for ties to the Iranian regime.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and her daughter Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, on Friday in Los Angeles.
Afshar is the niece of Qasem Soleimani, the deceased Iranian Major General who was killed by a drone strike ordered by President Trump in 2020.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he terminated both Afshar and her daughter’s legal status and they are now in ICE custody, pending removal from the United States.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security shared news of their arrests in a social media post.
“It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America,” DHS wrote. “If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked.”
On April 3, 2026, @ICEgov officers in Los Angeles arrested Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and Sarinasadat Hosseiny, the niece and grandniece of Qasem Soleimani, the late head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who was killed by a drone strike ordered by… https://t.co/4zd4iVnaTL
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) April 4, 2026
Afshar entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2015 and gained asylum in 2019. She became a green card holder in 2021 under the Biden Administration.
In a July 2025 naturalization application, she disclosed that she traveled to Iran at least four times since being issued a green card. Her trips to Iran illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent, DHS said.
Her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, entered the United States in July 2015 on a student visa. In 2019, a judge granted her asylum. In 2023, she became a green card holder under the Biden administration.
The U.S. Department of State said the action was taken on national security grounds, Newsweek reported.
Afshar and her daughter enjoyed their freedoms and a life of luxury in the United States while supporting Iran’s terrorist regime.
Her uncle, Hamideh Soleimani, led the Quds Force from the late 1990s until his death in January 2020, when he was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq.
Afshar celebrated attacks on U.S. soldiers and military facilities, praised Iran’s Supreme Leader and voiced support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization, Rubio said.
“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” Rubio wrote on X.
Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States.
Afshar is the niece of deceased Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 4, 2026
Afshar used her social media to spread Iran’s wartime propaganda against the U.S. before her Friday arrest by ICE agents, The New York Post reported.
Afshar called the United States the “Great Satan” and celebrated attacks against American soldiers stationed in the Middle East, according to the U.S. Department of State.
“Taking war reparations from the scum who sold out their homeland is very satisfying … Now, go chase after your money and assets,” she wrote in one Instagram story obtained by The Post that was translated from its original Farsi.
She also backed Tehran’s threats against Iranian expats branded “traitors,” while mocking critics and defending the regime’s stance.
“Do they still dare to make such claims? … Of course, by ‘immigrants’ they mean those whose hands are stained with the blood of the people. They mean the homeland-sellers,” she wrote.
In another post, Afshar shared a state media announcement declaring the rise of Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader in a post set to a devotional Persian song.
The mother and daughter curated glitzy online personas around Los Angeles, complete with designer goods and desert backdrops.
Hosseiny’s social media accounts reportedly showed travel to destinations such as Miami, Alaska and Las Vegas, and content reflecting a luxury lifestyle, according to The Post.
Other photos from social media show Afshar shooting guns and the pair posing in skimpy, risqué clothing—modeling outfits that would be illegal in the Islamic Republic.
Afshar’s husband has also been prohibited from entering the country, Newsweek reported.
Halasius Bradford, 50, who rents a single-story property owned by Afshar, told The New York Post that he was returning home as the dramatic events unfolded about 5 p.m. Friday.
Afshar was living in a small ADU behind the main home Bradford rented about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Inside, Afshar had a selfie ring light and a full-form mannequin to hang her designer label outfits. She also drove a black Tesla, which was filled with luxury bags and makeup on Saturday, The Post reported.
Both women were reportedly at the property for a scheduled City of Los Angeles inspection of the ADU, Bradford told The Post. He described Afshar as “crazy” and acting strangely.
“It was the first time I met Hosseiny,” he told The Post. “The mother seemed kinda nuts. She said she’d been having chemo for cancer.”
Both had traveled back to Iran multiple times, raising red flags with U.S. authorities. Their arrests highlight the State Department’s continued vigilance against threats tied to Qasem Soleimani and his network.
The State Department last month also stripped legal status from Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larjiani — the daughter of a top Iranian regime figure — who has since left the US and is permanently barred from returning, according to officials.
ICE also shared the news of the duo’s arrest on social media, adding, “Our country is not a home for terrorist sympathizers — and California’s sanctuary politicians should be thanking ICE for protecting the homeland.”
Afshar and Hosseiny are being held at the South Texas Detention Facility, according to the ICE detainee locator.
They are facing removal proceedings that could ultimately lead to deportation to Iran, Newsweek reported. They now await an appearance before an immigration judge, where they may have the chance to contest removal or apply for relief under U.S. immigration law.
