US agents arrest relatives of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani after revoking their green cards

U.S. federal agents have detained the ​niece and grand-niece of late Iranian military commander Qassem ‌Soleimani after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked their lawful permanent resident status, the State Department said on Saturday.

“Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and ​her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. ​Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the State Department said in ⁠a statement, saying also that Rubio revoked their green ​cards.

Soleimani was killed in a January 2020 U.S. airstrike in Baghdad ​during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

The State Department said Afshar supported Iran’s government and its propaganda. It also said Afshar’s husband was ​barred from entering the United States.

The detention came as the U.S.-Israeli ​war against Iran entered its sixth week .

The State Department added that earlier ‌this ⁠month, Rubio terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Ardeshir-Larijani and Motamedi are no longer in the ​United States ​and are barred ⁠from future entry, according to the State Department.

Ali Larijani, an architect of Iran’s security policy, ​was killed in mid-March by a U.S.-Israeli air ​attack.

In his ⁠second term in office, Trump’s administration has stepped up deportation attempts against immigrants, calling them threats. Rights advocates have raised ⁠concerns about ​free speech and due process. Many ​immigrants detained by ICE have been released following court orders.