U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the green cards of three relatives of Masoumeh Ebtekar, an Iranian official who served as spokeswoman during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The individuals affected are Ebtekar's son, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son. All three are now in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and face potential deportation. Rubio cited Ebtekar's role in the crisis, during which 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, as justification for the decision.
In a statement on X, Rubio referred to Ebtekar as "Screaming Mary," describing her as the spokeswoman for the militants who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He stated that the family had entered the U.S. through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme in 2014 and obtained permanent residency in 2016 under the Obama administration. "This week, I terminated their lawful permanent resident status," Rubio said, adding that America should not be home to "anti-American terrorists or their families." The action aligns with broader measures under President Donald Trump targeting relatives of senior Iranian figures.
Similar actions have been taken against Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, niece of slain Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, and the daughter of former Iranian official Ali Larijani. Both have been detained by ICE. Ebtekar later served as Iran's vice president for women and family affairs. Seyed Eissa Hashemi had been working as a psychology lecturer in the Los Angeles area. No response has been issued by the family or the Iranian government.
The revocation of green cards from Masoumeh Ebtekar's family marks a sharp escalation in symbolic retribution, decades after the original offence. This is not an immigration enforcement action in the conventional sense; it targets individuals who entered legally under a congressionally mandated visa programme and obtained residency without reported violations. By focusing on relatives with no documented involvement in the 1979 hostage crisis, the U.S. government has set a precedent where familial association, not personal conduct, determines residency rights.
The political timing and messaging are unmistakable. Under a Trump administration framework, the move fits a pattern of hardline posturing toward Iran, using immigration policy as a tool of foreign policy vengeance. Rubio's use of the nickname "Screaming Mary" and vivid descriptions of hostage abuse evoke emotional resonance over legal or procedural nuance. The fact that the family entered under Obama and gained residency in 2016 adds a layer of political contrast, framing the decision as a correction of prior leniency. This blurs the line between justice and political theatre.
For Nigerian families with diaspora members in the U.S., especially those from politically sensitive regions, this sets an unsettling precedent. If association with a relative's past can unravel legal immigration status, then stability in residency becomes contingent on geopolitical narratives, not law. Immigrants from countries with complex political histories may now face heightened vulnerability.
This reflects a growing trend: the weaponisation of immigration policy against symbolic enemies, where punishment extends beyond the individual to kin.
