Decades-Long U.S. Residents Face Deportation Amid Iran Tensions

Decades-Long U.S. Residents Face Deportation Amid Iran Tensions
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A woman who lived in the U.S. for nearly five decades was recently detained by immigration officers while gardening outside her New Orleans home, ABC NEWS reported. She had arrived on a student visa in 1978 and applied for asylum, citing fear of persecution. Although her asylum bid failed, she was allowed to stay if she regularly checked in with immigration officials, which her family says she did without fail.

She is now held at a Louisiana detention center as her family seeks answers. Advocates say more long-term Iranian residents are being detained following recent U.S. strikes on Iran, fueling fears of mass deportations. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed arrests of at least 11 Iranians for immigration violations since the strikes but offered no evidence of terrorist ties.

Another Iranian man in Oregon, who has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, was recently detained before a scheduled ICE check-in. With severed diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Iran, deportations have historically been rare. However, changing policies and new travel bans have increased uncertainty for Iranians with longstanding ties in the U.S., raising concerns among advocacy groups and families alike.