For this Los Angeles family, a decades-old chapter of Iranian history has become an unexpected fight over their future in America. A couple and their teenage son have spent more than 120 days in immigration detention despite their lawyers arguing that none of them took part in the events now being used against them.
According to NBC News, Maryam Tahmasebi, her husband Eissa Seyed Hashemi and their 16-year-old son were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in April. All three were permanent U.S. residents and their green cards were revoked.
The case has drawn attention because of Eissa’s family connection to the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. His mother, Masoumeh Ebtekar, was 19 when she served as a spokesperson for the university students who held Americans hostage during the Islamic Revolution.
It started with something that happened before they were even born
Maryam and her son are being held at the Dilley detention center in Texas. Eissa is detained at another nearby facility. The family can speak by phone for only 10 minutes every two weeks.
Maryam is a professor at Los Angeles Pierce College. Eissa is also an educator. Their lawyers say the government has not provided evidence that the family itself presents an actual national security threat. This comes after another family faced an upheaval after ICE detained a woman at Burbank, California.
Immigration lawyer Hassan Ahmad described the case as an apparent use of foreign policy against people based on family ties. Human rights attorney Maria Kari said, “In America, we do not punish people for who they’re related to.”
According to NBC Los Angeles, the lawyers believe an online campaign seeking the family’s removal helped draw attention from government officials. Leo Terrell, who works for the Department of Justice, tagged Secretary of State Marco Rubio shortly before the detentions.
The lawyers say that campaign eventually led to a State Department determination that the family posed a foreign policy threat. Loved ones reject that reasoning and describe the family as hardworking members of their community.
Dr. Jennifer Moses of Pierce College said Maryam consistently supports her students and colleagues. “She just shows up for the community,” Moses said.
After months in detention, the family offered to leave the U.S. voluntarily. Their request was denied “at this time,” according to their lawyers.
The conditions have also become a major concern. Kari alleged “black mold everywhere” and said there were bugs and unsafe drinking water at the facility.
Their teenage son has reportedly struggled with the prolonged separation. Ahmad said the boy has been detained far beyond the period normally permitted for children in such circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security said that all detainees receive due process. The department said ICE detained all three because their presence in the U.S. posed a clear threat to national security and foreign policy.
DHS also said Eissa entered the U.S. in 2014 on an F-1 student visa. In 2016, he and his family became green card holders. The department said green cards can be revoked when the government believes a holder poses a threat to the U.S.
The family’s lawyers continue to argue that the case amounts to what they call “bloodline punishment.” The family remains detained as the legal battle continues.
Published: Aug 18, 2026 08:00 am