Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, has canceled the green cards of three Iranians who are related to a well-known person from the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. They were arrested and are about to be deported this week.
Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son came to the United States in 2014, when Barack Obama was president. Through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, they became lawful permanent residents in 2016, just a few months after Iranian troops took two U.S. Navy ships and held American sailors hostage.
Masoumeh Ebtekar, who is well-known in the West as “Screaming Mary,” is Hashemi’s mother. Ebtekar was the English-language spokesperson for the Islamist militants who broke into the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979. She helped craft propaganda that portrayed the 52 American hostages as well-treated, even as they endured solitary confinement, blindfolds, starvation, beatings, and mock executions during their 444 days in captivity.
Ebtekar later married one of the hostage-takers and rose through the ranks of Iran’s revolutionary government. She held senior positions, including vice president, as recently as 2021.
Federal agents took the family into custody following Rubio’s decision to end their permanent resident status. They now face removal proceedings through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This action comes on the heels of similar moves last week. Rubio revoked the green cards of Hamideh Afshar Soleimani, a niece of the late Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, and her daughter. Both women were arrested and are awaiting deportation. Soleimani, killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike, orchestrated attacks that killed hundreds of American troops.
Rubio also canceled the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of a former top Iranian security official, and her husband. The couple has already left the United States and is barred from returning.
In a statement on social media, Rubio emphasized that America should not serve as a safe haven for those connected to hostile regimes. The State Department noted close coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to protect U.S. interests.
The Trump administration put a halt to the Diversity Visa Program, the very program that had allowed the Hashemi family to enter the country. Authorities contend that these cancellations are a straightforward statement of policy: anyone with connections to anti-American actions or regimes associated with terrorism is barred from the opportunity to settle permanently in the United States.
Critics of earlier immigration policies cite the approvals from 2014 to 2016 as instances of insufficient scrutiny, suggesting they permitted regime sympathizers to gain entry. Those backing the current strategy see the terminations as a necessary measure of accountability, particularly given the persistent strains with Iran concerning its nuclear ambitions, regional militias, and its practice of taking hostages.
These changes are part of a larger effort by the current administration to increase oversight of immigration from nations whose governments are seen as hostile. State Department officials say more such actions could follow as reviews continue.
This latest case highlights the long shadow of the 1979 embassy takeover, an event that strained U.S.-Iran relations for decades and remains a symbol of regime hostility toward America. Ebtekar’s role in spinning the hostage crisis for international audiences left a lasting mark on how many Americans view the Islamic Republic.
With enforcement intensifying, it’s anticipated that authorities will keep a close eye on people linked, either through family ties or ideological sympathies, to Iran’s ruling elite and its security forces.
The goal, according to administration statements, is straightforward: keep potential threats out and remove those already here who no longer qualify for residency.
