Marco Rubio cancelled the Green Cards of foreign nationals linked to the Iranian regime.
Updated: April 4, 2026 11:26 PM IST
New Delhi: The Trump administration has revoked the Green Cards or U.S. visas of at least four Iranian nationals linked to the current or former government of Iran; two of these individuals have been detained by immigration officials and are slated for deportation. These new actions were taken this week, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that they were neither eligible for lawful permanent resident status nor for entry into the United States. These measures follow a step taken late last year, in which the visas of several diplomats and staff members at Iran’s mission to the United Nations were also revoked.
Who Had Their Green Cards Revoked?
In a statement issued on Saturday, 04 April 2026, the State Department announced that Secretary Rubio had revoked the Green Cards of the niece and granddaughter of Qasem Soleimani—the former head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—who were subsequently taken into custody by immigration agents late Friday night.
Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, the niece of the late Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in January 2020, and her daughter are in the custody of US federal agents after Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled their lawful permanent resident status.
What did Marco Rubio say?
“Until recently, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were green card holders living lavishly in the United States. Afshar is the niece of the late Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. She is also an outspoken supporter of the Iranian regime who celebrated attacks on Americans and referred to our country as the ‘Great Satan’,” said Marco Rubio.
“This week, I terminated both Afshar and her daughter’s legal status, and they are now in ICE custody, pending removal from the United States. The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Afshar’s husband has also been barred from entering the United States, said the State Department in a statement.
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