People connected to the Iranian regime should know that anyone supporting terrorism will have their visa revoked, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott told The Daily Signal.
“A visa is a privilege, not a right,” he said. “If you are going to break the terms of your visa, if you’re going to engage in criminal activity, if you’re going to undermine our national security, that is grounds for revocation.”
The State Department has revoked the green cards of family members of Masoumeh Ebtekar, called “Screaming Mary.” Ebtekar worked as the English-speaking spokeswoman for Iranian militants that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
Ebtekar’s son, Seyed Eissa Hashemi, and his wife and son were taken into custody in Los Angeles and face deportation. The three entered the U.S. with visas in 2014, under the Obama administration.
“We’ve been clear from the beginning, if you are going to be here on a visa and you’re going to undermine our national security, you’re going to support terrorism, you’re going to break our laws, that is grounds for revocation,” Pigott said. “That’s what happens in America First visa policy.”
The State Department also revoked the lawful permanent residence status of the niece and grandniece of deceased Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qasem Soleimani, killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020. His niece, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and her daughter were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Pigott said the United States has “no obligation” to house people who support terrorism and pose a threat to national security.
“It may have been ignored by previous administrations, but it is not being ignored by this administration,” he said. “We are taking this incredibly seriously, and we are making sure we’re putting the American people first.”
So far, the State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas, most of them for people who directly violated the law, Pigott said.
“We have reinvigorated existing mechanisms for revocations,” he said, “and that includes a continuous ability to continuously vet people that are here on visas in this country, for people that are supporting terrorism, for people that are supporting the propaganda of a terrorist-funding regime, for people that are breaking our laws.”
Border security is not just about the U.S.-Mexico border, Pigott said.
“The actions of this president have led to the most secure border history, but visa security is border security,” Pigott said. “It’s who we’re letting into this country, and part of that is that continuous vetting.”