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ICE detains relatives of 1979 Iran hostage crisis figure after Rubio revokes their legal status
By Michael Dorgan
Published April 11, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he revoked the lawful permanent resident status of family members linked to Masoumeh Ebtekar, a spokeswoman for the Islamic terrorists who stormed the U.S. Embassy during the 1979 hostage crisis.
Rubio said the individuals were placed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending removal from the United States.
He said the Obama administration granted visas to Ebtekar’s son and his family in 2014 and later approved green cards through the Diversity Visa Program in 2016.
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Masoumeh Ebtekar, a spokeswoman for the militants involved in the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis, speaks at a press conference in Tehran on Jan. 29, 2019. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"Masoumeh Ebtekar — also known as ‘Screaming Mary’ — was the spokeswoman for the Islamic terrorists who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 Americans hostages for 444 days — subjecting them to beatings, starvation, and mock executions," Rubio wrote on X.
Rubio said her family should never have been allowed to benefit from the extraordinary privilege of living in the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he revoked the lawful permanent resident status of family members linked to Masoumeh Ebtekar, a spokeswoman for the militants who stormed the U.S. Embassy during the 1979 hostage crisis. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek)
"America can never become home for anti-American terrorists or their families — and under the Trump administration, it never will," Rubio said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ice-detains-relatives-1979-iran-hostage-crisis-figure-rubio-revokes-legal-status