Latest news with #MandonnaKashanian
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
US Green Card chaos: Immigration backlog hits record 11.3 million - thousands left in limbo
Green card delays and visa backlog 2025 have hit record highs as USCIS backlog crosses 11.3 million pending cases, creating massive wait times and uncertainty for millions. Processing of green card applications, work permits, and employment-based visas has slowed drastically, with I-90 and I-765 forms now taking months longer. USCIS has paused automation efforts, adding to the delays. Meanwhile, lawsuits, federal subpoenas, and protests are erupting nationwide over immigration enforcement and detentions. From Harvard's student visa probe to ICE arrests during interviews, the crisis is intensifying. Read how these immigration delays are affecting real people and legal rights today. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why is the USCIS backlog hitting record highs in 2025? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Who's being hit hardest by the green card processing crisis? Employment-based green card seekers – Especially from India and China, some are stuck waiting decades due to outdated per-country quotas . – Especially from India and China, some are stuck waiting due to outdated . Refugees and asylees – Thousands are stranded due to paused processing policies carried over from the Trump administration. – Thousands are stranded due to carried over from the Trump administration. Family-sponsored applicants – Many are waiting 10+ years due to preference category limits and country-specific backlogs. – Many are waiting due to preference category limits and country-specific backlogs. H-1B & H-4 visa holders – Many are living and working in the U.S. with no clear path forward, risking out-of-status scenarios. What's causing the record 11.3 million immigration backlog? 1. Understaffing and underfunding at USCIS 2. Legacy Trump policies still in effect 3. Surging applications post-COVID 4. Per-country visa caps Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How long are green card and work permit delays taking now? Indian nationals (EB-2 and EB-3) : Up to 80 years in some worst-case projections : Up to in some worst-case projections Chinese professionals : Often waiting 20–25 years : Often waiting Family-sponsored applicants from Mexico or the Philippines : Waiting 10–15 years : Waiting Asylees/refugees: Processing largely suspended as of 2025 What's happening with advance parole and other relief categories? What's being done to fix the U.S. green card backlog? Visa Recapture Eliminate per-country caps Increase USCIS funding Reopen closed streams What are the real-life consequences of the green card backlog? Travel internationally without risking re-entry Change jobs or employers Sponsor spouses or children Buy homes or make long-term investments Will immigration delays worsen before they improve? Why did DHS issue subpoenas to Harvard over visa program violations? Why is Los Angeles suing to stop federal immigration raids? Who else is caught up in this growing immigration crisis? Mandonna Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian mother living in New Orleans for 47 years, was detained by ICE while gardening. She was later released after intervention by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who said DHS needed to take a second look. Mario Guevara, a journalist from El Salvador, remains in ICE custody despite being granted bond by a judge. His arrest during a protest livestream has drawn national concern over press freedom and alleged retaliation by ICE. Cynthia Olivera, a Canadian immigrant married to a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was arrested during her green card interview. Her husband, a Trump voter, said: 'We feel blindsided. I want my vote back.' ICE says her previous deportation and illegal reentry made her subject to arrest. What's next for immigration reform amid protests and lawsuits? What does this mean for immigrants now? FAQs: United States is experiencing a historic immigration logjam, with the green card backlog ballooning to 11.3 million cases by the second quarter of FY2025. That figure, confirmed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), marks the largest pending case load in American immigration backlog includes visa applications, asylum claims, green card renewals, and work permit requests. Only 2.7 million cases were processed during Q2, meaning more than 8.6 million applicants remain in bureaucratic shockingly, over 34,000 applications haven't even been opened yet—stuck in physical mailrooms without digital entry into the USCIS backlog hitting 11.3 million signals a serious strain on the agency's resources. That number includes all pending forms—from green card applications (Form I-485) and work permits (Form I-765) to travel documents (Form I-131) and employment-based visa forms like Q2 of FY2025, USCIS completed just 2.7 million cases, a significant drop compared to prior quarters. Officials haven't provided a full explanation for the lag, but the suspension of the Streamlined Case Processing program has undoubtedly slowed things down. This program was originally launched to accelerate lower-risk applications but has now been paused over 34,000 unopened applications have created a 'frontlog'—a queue of cases that haven't even been entered into the system yet. This marks the return of a problem USCIS previously said it had resolved in delays aren't affecting everyone equally. Here's a breakdown of the groups suffering the most:The causes are layered and systemic. Here's what's driving the gridlock:USCIS has been operating withfor years. Despite record case loads, hiring has, leading to processing delays across all case immigration categories, especially those for, wereor severely restricted during Trump's presidency. Some of those shutdowns haven't been reversed in demand from the COVID years has resulted in an, especially for family reunification and employment-based Immigration and Nationality Act limits green cards to—which disproportionately affectslike India and for essential immigration documents are getting worse. The Form I-90, used for green card replacements, now takes more than eight months to process—far longer than the average wait time of four to six months seen in prior permits, particularly Form I-765, are also seeing mounting delays. Pending applications have more than doubled since the last quarter. These permits are vital for immigrants who need legal authorization to work while awaiting their green cards or other backlog in Form I-129 applications is directly impacting employment-based visa holders—especially H-1B and L-1 applicants—causing job losses, visa expirations, and anxiety for employers and foreign professionals on the applicant's category and country of origin, green card wait times vary drastically:These long waits are not just a paperwork issue—they disruptNot all news is bad. One bright spot is the Advance Parole (Form I-131) category, which saw a slight reduction in pending cases in recent months. Advance parole allows immigrants to re-enter the U.S. after traveling abroad while waiting for their green card or asylum decisions. Though still slow, this is one of the few areas showing overall, the immigration system continues to struggle with severe delays, which is creating ripple effects in legal, employment, and humanitarian proposals and policy ideas are circulating, but few have gained real traction:Millions of green cards godue to administrative delays. Immigration advocates are pushing Congress to 'recapture' these unused visas and apply them to today's like the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act aim to remove or raise the per-country cap, allowing fairer distribution and shorter wait money for staffing, tech upgrades, and infrastructure could help the agency speed up case suspended categories like refugee and asylum green card pipelines would provide relief to the most the numbers are. Many immigrants stuck in this limbo are unable to:A recent documentary, "Broken System," by filmmaker Shalini Kantayya shows the toll of the backlog on, particularlywho have lived in the U.S. for over a decade but remain 'temporary' on of mid-2025, immigration experts sayunless urgent reforms are passed. With, immigration policy has again shifted toward, not backlog major legislative or executive action occurs, themay be just the beginning of a much larger crisis in legal to the chaos, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) escalated its conflict with Harvard University by issuing administrative subpoenas related to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). DHS claims Harvard repeatedly ignored requests for information and failed to prevent students from allegedly misusing their visas to promote violent McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, said bluntly: 'We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now... we have to do things the hard way.'The subpoenas demand access to records, emails, and communications dating back to January 1, Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has joined a growing class-action lawsuit to block federal immigration raids, calling them unconstitutional and reckless. The lawsuit, Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, accuses ICE of racially profiling immigrants, detaining people in inhumane conditions, and violating their legal ACLU of California and Public Counsel are leading the legal fight, saying ICE operations are targeting people with 'brown skin' and denying them legal counsel. DHS has rejected the allegations, calling them "disgusting and categorically false."Mayor Bass emphasized: 'We will not be intimidated... Los Angeles is taking a stand for American values.'Several recent cases illustrate how the immigration crackdown is affecting lives:Nationwide protests are planned on July 17 under the banner 'Good Trouble Lives On', commemorating the late Rep. John Lewis and denouncing President Donald Trump's immigration policies. The demonstrations follow similar actions held on June 14 and over the Fourth of July weekend, which criticized ICE raids and new travel Iranian green card applicants have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing that national interest waivers under the travel ban are being denied without reason. The State Department has declined to comment on ongoing immigration delays and visa backlog aren't just statistics—they're disrupting lives, careers, families, and basic rights. As the green card delays worsen, and visa processing slows, the pressure is mounting for a more transparent, fair, and functional lawsuits and subpoenas to protests and personal tragedies, the immigration debate in 2025 is unfolding across courtrooms, campuses, and communities—and it's far from card delays are rising due to USCIS backlog, automation pauses, and processing visa backlog is caused by record-high pending cases, limited resources, and policy changes.
CBS News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
ICE releases 64-year-old Iranian mother agents detained after U.S. bombed Iran
Most people detained by ICE have no criminal record, despite Trump claims New Orleans — An Iranian mother detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers was released this week following advocacy from Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Mandonna "Donna" Kashanian, 64, was detained by ICE officers last month as she gardened in the yard of her New Orleans home. CBS New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV reports that it happened on June 22, the day after U.S. forces bombed Iran. She's lived in the United States for 47 years and her husband of 35 years, Russell Milne, and 32-year-old daughter Kaitlynn are both U.S. citizens. Milne and Kaitlynn picked her up at an ICE detention center in Basile, Louisiana, three hours west of New Orleans, and brought her home, WWL says. Mandonna "Donna" Kashanian is seen in undated photo provided by her daughter. Kaitlynn Milne via AP Kashanian had been allowed to stay in the U.S. as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, as she had done without fail, her family and attorney said. After a surge of community support for Kashanian, Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, including the New Orleans suburbs, told WWL he's going to push the Department of Homeland Security to give Kashanian "a fair shake" when she applies for asylum again after being denied previously. Scalise said Kashanian should be judged on "her life's work" and role in her community. Scalise's office didn't respond to a request for comment from the AP. Scalise's intervention was "absolutely crucial" to behind-the-scenes advocacy to secure Kashanian's release, her attorney Ken Mayeaux told The Associated Press. What happens next for Kashanian's legal status is still being worked out, he said. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that "the facts of this case have not changed." "Mandonna Kashanian is in this country illegally," McLaughlin said. "She exhausted all her legal options." Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Republican who represents Kashanian's community, said she's been a "devoted mother and wife, a caretaker, neighbor and dedicated volunteer" with Habitat for Humanity, her local school district and other organizations. More than 100 of Kashanian's neighbors wrote letters of support for her, which Hilferty told the AP she and Scalise had shared with the Trump administration. "She's just been an incredible volunteer and servant to our Lakeview community, everybody knows her because of all she gives and does," said Connie Uddo, a neighbor of Kashanian's who leads the NOLA Tree Project where Kashanian and her husband have volunteered for years. Some neighbors wrote letters addressed to President Trump expressing support for his immigration policies but saying some people like Kashanian were being detained improperly and urging him to reconsider her case. Kashanian arrived in the U.S. in 1978 on a student visa and unsuccessfully applied for asylum based on her father's support of the U.S.-backed shah. ICE New Orleans said in a June post on the social platform X that Kashanian had failed to depart the U.S. after the Board of Immigration Appeals upheld a deportation order in 1992. "She was ordered by a judge to depart the U.S. and didn't," the agency said. "Shouldn't be a surprise we came knocking." But Kashanian was allowed to remain with her husband and child as long as she checked in regularly with immigration authorities, her family said. For decades, she had "faithfully and fully complied with those terms," said Mayeaux, her attorney. She even managed to check in with authorities while displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Kashanian met Milne while bartending as a student in the late 1980s. She filmed Persian cooking tutorials on YouTube and doted on the neighboring children. Milne told the AP his family was "extremely grateful" for all the support from their community and elected officials. "She's meeting her obligations," Milne said following her detention. "She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?" Other Iranians living in the U.S. for decades have also been picked up by immigration authorities, and U.S. military strikes on Iran have raised concerns that more may be taken into custody and deported. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Immigration authorities are seeking to arrest 3,000 people a day under directives from the Trump administration. Kashanian's attorney Mayeaux said he represents other clients who had built lives in the U.S. over decades and are now being detained and deported. "There is still a tremendous amount of heartache that is happening for people," Mayeaux said. "The difference is they lived quiet lives and didn't have access to political power to change the outcomes in their cases."
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- The Guardian
After 47 years in the US, Ice took this Iranian mother from her yard. Her family just wants her home
Kaitlynn Milne says her mother is usually always up first thing in the morning, hours before the rest of the family. She enjoys being productive in the quiet hours around sunrise. It's an especially optimal time to do yard work, when the rest of her New Orleans neighborhood still sleeps and she can count on peacefully completing chores. Gardening and rearranging the shed is how an average morning would go for Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian mother, wife, home cook, parent-teacher association (PTA) member and lifelong community service volunteer. 'She always says: 'I've already done most of my day before y'all even wake up,' complaining at us,' said Kaitlynn, 32. It was always done with love, she says, as her mother adores taking care of others and would wake up every morning excited to do just that. But the morning of Sunday, 22 June, didn't go like every other morning. In the early hours, while her husband, Russell Milne, slept inside the house, Kashanian was approached in her yard by plainclothes men who identified themselves as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents. She was quickly arrested without her family being told anything. They only found out after a neighbor who happened to be awake witnessed the arrest and notified them. According to the neighbor, Kashanian was handcuffed before being taken away by multiple agents, details Kashanian herself was later able to confirm to her family. Her arrest involved three unmarked cars, including one that appeared to be a lookout, which her neighbor and family believe had been watching for a moment when Kashanian was outside and alone. 'Had the neighbors not walked out at the same time they were pushing her into the car, we would not have known she was taken,' said Russell. Kashanian was able to call her family about an hour later, when she relayed to them what had happened and where she was. Ice officers told her that she was being taken to a holding center in Mississippi, before eventually being transferred back to a detention center in Louisiana. After that Sunday morning call, her husband and daughter didn't hear from her again until Tuesday. She remains in Ice custody in Basile, Louisiana, despite having no criminal record. The timing of Kashanian's detention was just hours after US airstrikes in Iran, a move that has coincided with the ramping-up of deportations of Iranians by the Trump administration. It also comes amid a nationwide crackdown by Ice, which has seen tens of thousands of immigrants detained, often by masked agents, plunged many communities into fear and outraged civil liberties advocates. Kashanian arrived in the US in 1978 on a student visa and has lived in the country ever since. She later applied for asylum, citing fears of persecution due to her father's ties to the US-backed Shah of Iran. Her asylum request was ultimately denied, but she was granted a stay of removal on the condition she comply with immigration requirements, a condition her family says she always met. Kashanian was so careful about regularly attending her meetings with immigration officials that she once checked in from South Carolina during Hurricane Katrina. Despite having to juggle constant immigration checks, Kashanian remained devoted to community service work. She volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, helping rebuild homes after Katrina. She worked with Nola Tree Project, a local non-profit that replants trees after disasters. She served on a PTA, volunteering at her daughter's elementary school, middle school and high school. 'She was constantly around,' said Kaitlynn. 'She was constantly helping with upkeep of the schools. She was always there, always helping the teachers and custodial staff, anything to be supportive. Everyone knew Kaitlynn's mom.' She also found the time to become a skilled home cook. Her YouTube channel, titled Mandonna in the Kitchen, is dedicated to sharing her favorite Persian recipes with aspiring cooks. According to her daughter and husband, Kashanian is an optimist who is almost impossible to upset. But there is one thing that never fails to unsettle her, and that's improperly cooked rice. Now that she has been moved to a facility in Louisiana, her family has been able to set up a line of communication, speaking to her once a day. But she is given a limited amount of time to call or message, so communication is restricted. She says she has still not been assigned a case worker. 'She's in pretty good spirits,' said Russell. 'She's more worried about us, and about the lack of communication she's getting about her situation. They're not really giving her any information, and that's what's scary.' Russell and Kaitlynn have been working tirelessly to find legal help, but it has been challenging due in part to the complexity of Donna's case, with some of her documents seeming to have been lost over decades of changing hands in the immigration offices. But the other big challenge is the limited availability of immigration lawyers. As the Trump administration has escalated the number of Ice arrests, there is a shortage of legal counsel for immigrants and their families to go to for help. 'We have been on the phone nonstop from 8am to 10pm almost every day the last week trying to find help, and it's proving difficult because all the immigration lawyers are all dealing with everyone else's crises as well,' said Kaitlynn. 'So far, we haven't gotten a lot of optimistic responses.' Like her mother, Kaitlynn remains in good spirits despite the constant obstacles, staying focused on helping someone else who currently needs it. But there is one moment in her show of resilience when her voice falters, as she recalls a memory from her childhood when her mother created a French book section in her New Orleans elementary school library. 'I had forgotten that until just now,' Kaitlynn said, through tears. 'Because there were no French books in the library. She organized that and got it together and painted this little tiny nook.' Russell says the focus currently is just to get his wife out of detention. 'We're working on a grassroots campaign and a letter-writing campaign on her behalf, that will hopefully be able to at least gain her release from the detention center,' he said. 'After that, we can move forward with next steps through the immigration offices,' he added. 'But right now, just getting her home is the challenge.'
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After decades in the US, Iranians arrested in Trump's deportation drive
Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian lived in the United States for 47 years, married a U.S. citizen and raised their daughter. She was gardening in the yard of her New Orleans home when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers handcuffed and took her away, her family said. Kashanian arrived in 1978 on a student visa and applied for asylum, fearing retaliation for her father's support of the U.S.-backed shah. She lost her bid, but she was allowied to remain with her husband and child if she checked in regularly with immigration officials, her husband and daughter said. She complied, once checking in from South Carolina during Hurricane Katrina. She is now being held at an immigration detention center in Basile, Louisiana, while her family tries to get information. Other Iranians are also getting arrested by immigration authorities after decades in the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security won't say how many people they've arrested, but U.S. military strikes on Iran have fueled fears that there is more to come. 'Some level of vigilance, of course, makes sense, but what it seems like ICE has done is basically give out an order to round up as many Iranians as you can, whether or not they're linked to any threat and then arrest them and deport them, which is very concerning,' said Ryan Costello, policy director of the National Iranian American Council, an advocacy group. Homeland Security did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment on Kashanian's case but have been touting arrests of Iranians. The department announced the arrests of at least 11 Iranians on immigration violations during the weekend of the U.S. missile strikes. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, without elaborating, that it arrested seven Iranians at a Los Angeles-area address that 'has been repeatedly used to harbor illegal entrants linked to terrorism." The department "has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden's fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,' spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said of the 11 arrests. She didn't offer any evidence of terrorist or extremist ties. Her comment on parole programs referred to President Joe Biden's expanded legal pathways to entry, which his successor, Donald Trump, shut down. Russell Milne, Kashanian's husband, said his wife is not a threat. Her appeal for asylum was complicated because of 'events in her early life," he explained. A court found an earlier marriage of hers to be fraudulent. But over four decades, Kashanian, 64, built a life in Louisiana. The couple met when she was bartending as a student in the late 1980s. They married and had a daughter. She volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, filmed Persian cooking tutorials on YouTube and was a grandmother figure to the children next door. The fear of deportation always hung over the family, Milne said, but he said his wife did everything that was being asked of her. 'She's meeting her obligations," Milne said. "She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?' While Iranians have been crossing the border illegally for years, especially since 2021, they have faced little risk of being deported to their home countries due to severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. That seems to no longer be the case. The Trump administration has deported hundreds of people, including Iranians, to countries other than their own in an attempt to circumvent diplomatic hurdles with governments that won't take their people back. During Trump's second term, countries including El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama have taken back noncitizens from the U.S. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for several deportations to South Sudan, a war-ravaged country with which it has no ties, after the justices allowed deportations to countries other than those noncitizens came from. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested Iranians 1,700 times at the Mexican border from October 2021 through November 2024, according to the most recent public data available. The Homeland Security Department reported that about 600 Iranians overstayed visas as business or exchange visitors, tourists and students in the 12-month period through September 2023, the most recent data reports. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Some fear ICE's growing deportation arrests will be another blow. In Oregon, an Iranian man was detained by immigration agents this past week while driving to the gym. He was picked up roughly two weeks before he was scheduled for a check-in at ICE offices in Portland, according to court documents filed by his attorney, Michael Purcell. The man, identified in court filings as S.F., has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, and his wife and two children are U.S. citizens. S.F. applied for asylum in the U.S. in the early 2000s, but his application was denied in 2002. His appeal failed but the government did not deport him and he continued to live in the country for decades, according to court documents. Due to 'changed conditions' in Iran, S.F. would face 'a vastly increased danger of persecution' if he were to be deported, Purcell wrote in his petition. 'These circumstances relate to the recent bombing by the United States of Iranian nuclear facilities, thus creating a de facto state of war between the United States and Iran.' S.F.'s long residency in the U.S., his conversion to Christianity and the fact that his wife and children are U.S. citizens 'sharply increase the possibility of his imprisonment in Iran, or torture or execution,' he said. Similarly, Kashanian's daughter said she is worried what will happen to her mother. 'She tried to do everything right,' Kaitlynn Milne said.
CTV News
29-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
After decades in the U.S., Iranians arrested in Trump's deportation drive
President Donald Trump listens during a briefing with the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Mandonna 'Donna' Kashanian lived in the United States for 47 years, married a U.S. citizen and raised their daughter. She was gardening in the yard of her New Orleans home when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers handcuffed and took her away, her family said. Kashanian arrived in 1978 on a student visa and applied for asylum, fearing retaliation for her father's support of the U.S.-backed shah. She lost her bid, but she was allowied to remain with her husband and child if she checked in regularly with immigration officials, her husband and daughter said. She complied, once checking in from South Carolina during Hurricane Katrina. She is now being held at an immigration detention center in Basile, Louisiana, while her family tries to get information. Other Iranians are also getting arrested by immigration authorities after decades in the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security won't say how many people they've arrested, but U.S. military strikes on Iran have fueled fears that there is more to come. 'Some level of vigilance, of course, makes sense, but what it seems like ICE has done is basically give out an order to round up as many Iranians as you can, whether or not they're linked to any threat and then arrest them and deport them, which is very concerning,' said Ryan Costello, policy director of the National Iranian American Council, an advocacy group. Mandonna "Donna" Kashanian In this undated photo provided by her daughter, Mandonna "Donna" Kashanian, 64, holds up a champagne glass. (Kaitlynn Milne via AP) Homeland Security did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment on Kashanian's case but have been touting arrests of Iranians. The department announced the arrests of at least 11 Iranians on immigration violations during the weekend of the U.S. missile strikes. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, without elaborating, that it arrested seven Iranians at a Los Angeles-area address that 'has been repeatedly used to harbor illegal entrants linked to terrorism.' The department 'has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden's fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,' spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said of the 11 arrests. She didn't offer any evidence of terrorist or extremist ties. Her comment on parole programs referred to President Joe Biden's expanded legal pathways to entry, which his successor, Donald Trump, shut down. Russell Milne, Kashanian's husband, said his wife is not a threat. Her appeal for asylum was complicated because of 'events in her early life,' he explained. A court found an earlier marriage of hers to be fraudulent. But over four decades, Kashanian, 64, built a life in Louisiana. The couple met when she was bartending as a student in the late 1980s. They married and had a daughter. She volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, filmed Persian cooking tutorials on YouTube and was a grandmother figure to the children next door. The fear of deportation always hung over the family, Milne said, but he said his wife did everything that was being asked of her. 'She's meeting her obligations,' Milne said. 'She's retirement age. She's not a threat. Who picks up a grandmother?' While Iranians have been crossing the border illegally for years, especially since 2021, they have faced little risk of being deported to their home countries due to severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. That seems to no longer be the case. The Trump administration has deported hundreds of people, including Iranians, to countries other than their own in an attempt to circumvent diplomatic hurdles with governments that won't take their people back. During Trump's second term, countries including El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama have taken back noncitizens from the U.S. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for several deportations to South Sudan, a war-ravaged country with which it has no ties, after the justices allowed deportations to countries other than those noncitizens came from. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested Iranians 1,700 times at the Mexican border from October 2021 through November 2024, according to the most recent public data available. The Homeland Security Department reported that about 600 Iranians overstayed visas as business or exchange visitors, tourists and students in the 12-month period through September 2023, the most recent data reports. Iran was one of 12 countries subject to a U.S. travel ban that took effect this month. Some fear ICE's growing deportation arrests will be another blow. In Oregon, an Iranian man was detained by immigration agents this past week while driving to the gym. He was picked up roughly two weeks before he was scheduled for a check-in at ICE offices in Portland, according to court documents filed by his attorney, Michael Purcell. The man, identified in court filings as S.F., has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, and his wife and two children are U.S. citizens. S.F. applied for asylum in the U.S. in the early 2000s, but his application was denied in 2002. His appeal failed but the government did not deport him and he continued to live in the country for decades, according to court documents. Due to 'changed conditions' in Iran, S.F. would face 'a vastly increased danger of persecution' if he were to be deported, Purcell wrote in his petition. 'These circumstances relate to the recent bombing by the United States of Iranian nuclear facilities, thus creating a de facto state of war between the United States and Iran.' S.F.'s long residency in the U.S., his conversion to Christianity and the fact that his wife and children are U.S. citizens 'sharply increase the possibility of his imprisonment in Iran, or torture or execution,' he said. Similarly, Kashanian's daughter said she is worried what will happen to her mother. 'She tried to do everything right,' Kaitlynn Milne said. Kim Chandler, Claire Rush And Elliot Spagat, The Associated Press
