U.S. Revokes Green Cards Of Iranian Family
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the lawful permanent resident status of family members of Masoumeh Ebtekar, the Iranian official who served as spokeswoman for the militants involved in the Iran hostage crisis.
The affected individuals, Ebtekar’s son, daughter-in-law and grandson are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are facing possible deportation.
In a statement posted on X, Rubio directly tied the decision to Ebtekar’s role during the 1979 crisis, in which 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days after the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was seized.
“Masoumeh Ebtekar also known as ‘Screaming Mary’ was the spokeswoman for the Islamic terrorists who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days — subjecting them to beatings, starvation, and mock executions,” Rubio wrote.
He added that the family members had entered the United States through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme during the administration of former President Barack Obama, receiving visas in 2014 and later obtaining permanent residency in 2016.
“This week, I terminated their lawful permanent resident status, and today, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending their removal from our country,” Rubio stated.
“Her family should never have been allowed to benefit from the extraordinary privilege of living in our country. America can never become home for anti-American terrorists or their families — and under the Trump Administration, it never will.”
The move is part of a broader crackdown under President Donald Trump, targeting relatives of senior Iranian figures residing in the United States. Rubio recently announced similar actions against relatives of slain Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, including his niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, as well as the daughter of former Iranian official Ali Larijani. Those individuals have also been detained by ICE and are facing deportation proceedings.
Ebtekar, who later served as Iran’s vice president for women and family affairs, became internationally known for her televised defence of the hostage-takers during the crisis. Her son, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, had been living in the Los Angeles area, where he worked as a psychology lecturer.
The decision has sparked mixed reactions online, with supporters describing it as long-overdue accountability, while critics question whether relatives not directly involved in the events should face such penalties.
No immediate response has been issued by the affected family members or the Iranian government.
U.S. Revokes Green Cards Of Iranian Family is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
