US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained hundreds of Iranian nationals during the June 2025 attack on Iran, according to US government data obtained by the National Iranian American Council under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
“ICE conducted a major surge of arrests of Iranians amid the June 2025 war,” with 220 arrests in June and 80 in July 2025, the National Iranian American Council (Niac) said on Wednesday.
The crackdown came as the US capped off an Israeli attack on Iran by bombing the Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan nuclear complexes.
The sweeping arrests continued, with 577 Iranians held in ICE detention facilities as of 21 December 2025.
The oldest reported Iranian national in detention was 77, while the youngest was just five. The latter appears to have been arrested in November along with others who are likely family members. They were held at South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
“Of the 577 Iranians detained by ICE, seven were legal permanent residents (LPR), or green card holders whose stated detention reason was past criminal offenses,” Niac said.
Niac did not report the legal status of all Iranian nationals arrested, and it’s unclear whether that information was provided in response to the FOIA request.
The US has abruptly terminated the legal residence of Iranian nationals inside the US.
In April, the Trump administration terminated the green cards of three Iranian nationals, including the son of a leader in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife, and son had their lawful permanent residence status revoked by the US.
Hashemi is the son of former Iranian politician Masoumeh Ebtekar.
The US-Israeli war on Iran, which started on 28 February, has put a spotlight on ICE arrests of Iranian nationals in the US.
Residence status revoked
In early April, the US arrested two women who were claiming they were relatives of assassinated Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian women held by US immigration not Qassem Soleimani's relatives: Report Read More »
Later, Drop Site News cited Iranian birth records, identification papers, a family will, and other personal documents to reveal that the women were not related to Soleimani, not even distantly.
In fact, one of the women, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, was, according to the outlet, involved in anti-Islamic Republic protests in the 1990s and 2000s and spent a week in prison for her activities before moving to the US.
The arrests of Iranian nationals come as ICE continues its crackdown on legal US residents.
The US Board of Immigration Appeals on Thursday reinstated deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green-card holder who helped lead anti-war protests at Columbia University last year, his legal team has said.
Mahdawi was detained by ICE when he attended an American citizenship interview in Vermont in mid-April last year.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.