In Los Angeles, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested Sharareh Moghadam, an Iranian-born permanent resident who had recently passed her U.S. citizenship exam and was awaiting her naturalization ceremony. The small business owner from Studio City was transferred to an immigration detention facility in Arizona following her arrest.
Her husband, Hooshang Aghdassi, who runs a balloon decoration shop on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, expressed disbelief at the decision. “She had her green card, she passed the citizenship test, and she was just waiting for the ceremony. She’s not a thief or a criminal,” he told NBC Los Angeles. He insisted that Moghadam had always complied with immigration rules and said their family life has now been turned upside down.
ICE, however, presented a starkly different account. In a statement cited by NBC4, the agency said Moghadam “is neither a U.S. citizen nor a U.S. national, but an Iranian national with a criminal record.” Authorities allege that she entered the country in 2014 “at an unknown date and location” and later obtained legal status in 2016. Between 2015 and 2019, she was reportedly convicted twice of theft, which ICE argued demonstrated “a clear disregard for U.S. law” and justified removal proceedings, according to reporting by Newsweek.
The case comes amid a broader crackdown on immigration under President Donald Trump’s administration. Since January, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have detained nearly 61,000 people. Of those, about 29 percent had criminal convictions, 25.6 percent were facing pending charges, and 45 percent were accused of immigration-related violations, Newsweek reported, citing official ICE data.
Moghadam’s arrest is not unique. In Alabama, 24-year-old Giovanna Hernandez-Martinez, who arrived in the U.S. as a child and has no criminal history, was detained during a routine traffic stop. In Georgia, 59-year-old Alma Bowman has been held for months. Born in the Philippines to an American father, she believed she was a U.S. citizen until ICE demanded DNA proof of her father’s citizenship, despite his death. Her attorney, Samantha Hamilton, told Georgia Public Broadcasting that the agency’s demands have become increasingly strict.
In Los Angeles, members of the local community are rallying around the Aghdassi-Moghadam family. Supporters and customers have launched a petition urging lawmakers to intervene before her next immigration hearing. “Years ago, we thought America was a land of opportunity and freedom. That used to be true, but today everything has changed,” Aghdassi said. “We don’t feel safe anymore.”
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Source: Newsweek
