Iranian-American Professor Family Detained by ICE Amid Activist Campaign

A family of Iranian legal permanent residents in the United States has been detained for over 120 days in separate immigration facilities in Texas, reportedly due to an online campaign by activist Masih Alinejad alleging their ties to the Iranian government.

Maryam Tahmasebi, her husband Eissa Hashemi, and their high-school-age son were legally residing in California, where Tahmasebi and Hashemi worked as professors and their son attended school. However, on April 9, Hashemi was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents without prior notice to his family, according to Tahmasebi’s account published in *The Nation*. The next day, Tahmasebi and their son were detained outside the boy’s school by Department of Homeland Security vehicles, handcuffed, and taken into custody.

The family’s detention appears to stem from a social media post by Alinejad, an Iranian-American activist known for advocating U.S. regime change policies toward Iran. On April 1, Alinejad shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) depicting the Hashemi family’s Los Angeles home, addressing Hashemi’s mother, Masoumeh Ebtekar, an Iranian scientist and former politician associated with the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis. In the video, Alinejad criticized Hashemi for not publicly denouncing his mother’s past actions.

Following the post, Hashemi was detained by ICE, and the family was separated. Tahmasebi, writing in *The Nation*, expressed distress over their indefinite detention despite having no criminal record or immigration violations. She described the situation as "bloodline punishment," where her family’s existence was negated due to distant familial ties to Iranian officials.

Alinejad celebrated the family’s detention in subsequent social media posts, praising then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and criticizing the Biden administration for not using her list of relatives of Iranian officials to justify broader deportations. However, Tahmasebi clarified that their detention was not a deportation but an indefinite confinement, as U.S. authorities opposed their requests to leave the country.

The case raises concerns about due process and the targeting of individuals based on familial associations rather than legal violations. Tahmasebi’s account underscores the perceived erosion of the rule of law in the U.S., where she and her family, despite their legal status and contributions, face prolonged detention without clear justification.

Alinejad, who has received nearly $1 million in U.S. government contracts through Voice of America Persian, continues to advocate for policies targeting Iranian officials and their relatives. Critics argue her activism aligns with U.S. government objectives, including regime change efforts. Meanwhile, the Hashemi family remains detained, their future uncertain as legal proceedings continue.