The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son ahead of their deportation, the State Department announced on April 11, 2026. The family, known for their connection to the Iranian regime, had their lawful permanent resident status revoked as part of a broader crackdown on individuals with ties to Iran.
Hashemi and Tahmasebi both worked as professors at The Chicago School in Los Angeles. Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, a prominent Iranian politician who originally gained international attention as the spokeswoman for the student group that seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 during the hostage crisis. Ebtekar later served as Iran’s vice president for women and family affairs from 2017 to 2021 and twice led the country’s Department of Environment.
The family had originally entered the U.S. on a visa issued in 2014 and obtained permanent residency in 2016 through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, a lottery system discontinued by the Trump administration in December 2025.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized their residency, stating on the social media platform X that “her family should never have been allowed to benefit from the extraordinary privilege of living in our country” and reinforcing the administration’s stance against allowing “anti-American terrorists or their families” to remain in the U.S.
Recent Deportations Involving Iranian Ties
This deportation follows similar actions taken by the administration against other individuals linked to Iranian political figures. Among them are Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, relatives of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major General Qasem Soleimani, who were recently arrested after losing their lawful permanent resident status. The State Department described Soleimani Afshar as an outspoken supporter of Iran’s “totalitarian, terrorist regime.” Both remain in ICE custody as of the latest update.
Additionally, Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, and her husband have also been stripped of their legal status and have departed the U.S.
Why it matters
The U.S. government’s recent actions underscore a tightening of immigration enforcement policies concerning individuals connected to the Iranian regime. These deportations reflect ongoing concerns about national security and efforts to limit the presence of those perceived to be affiliated with foreign adversaries.
The termination of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which enabled some such permanent residencies, plays a central role in this policy shift. These measures also come amid high-level U.S. diplomatic efforts focused on Iran, including sensitive negotiations aimed at stabilizing the region.
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