A new measure aimed at tightening immigration restrictions on relatives of known terrorists has been introduced by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), following revelations that close family members of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani had been residing in the United States, according to Breitbart.
The proposed legislation, titled the “No Safe Haven for Terrorist Families Act,” would bar immediate and extended relatives of designated foreign adversaries from entering or remaining in the country. Specifically, it creates a permanent basis for inadmissibility, covering spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, as well as nieces and nephews.
If enacted, the bill would also mandate that the secretary of state revoke any visas currently held by such individuals within 30 days of determining their status under the law.
The push comes after the Department of Homeland Security disclosed that Soleimani’s niece, 47-year-old Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, and grandniece, 25-year-old Sarinasadat Hosseiny, had both been granted asylum in 2019. The pair were arrested in April while reportedly living in Los Angeles. The outlet reports, further scrutiny revealed that Afshar, despite her asylum status, applied for U.S. naturalization in July 2025 and admitted to traveling back to Iran at least four times after receiving her green card, according to DHS.
“Relatives of terrorists have no business being in our country,” Cotton told Breitbart News. “My bill would revoke visas from family members of terrorists to keep Arkansans safer.”
Soleimani himself, a senior Iranian military figure, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.