Iranian academic describes 'hell' of US detention over husband's 1979 hostage link

An Iranian woman detained for months in Texas has criticised the United States government for what she calls "bloodline punishment" after her family's green cards were revoked over her husband's ties to a prominent figure in Iran.

Maryam Tahmasebi, a professor of psychology and statistics in Los Angeles, her husband Seyed Eissa Hashemi, and their teenage son - all permanent residents of the US - were detained by immigration agents in April. Tahmasebi and her son remain at a detention centre in Dilley, Texas, while her husband is held at a separate facility in Pearsall, South Texas.

The US State Department has cited the husband's family connection as the reason for revoking their status. Hashemi's mother, Masoumeh Ebtekar, served as a spokesperson for the student group that held dozens of Americans captive during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

In an article written from inside the Dilley facility and published in The Nation magazine, Tahmasebi said: "We have been put through hell for the past four months, and our physical and mental health have deteriorated in ways that might not be reversible for years."

Tahmasebi argued that the government was punishing her husband for being the son of a woman who acted as a translator for the hostage takers in 1979, before he was born. "I came here because I wanted to build a life for myself and my family that was defined by my own actions, not anyone else's," she wrote. "But now our lives are being upended for something someone else did nearly 50 years ago."

Ebtekar, who became known as "Screaming Mary" or "Sister Mary" for her English-language statements during the crisis, later held several positions in the Iranian government. She was most recently vice president for women and family affairs, a role she left in 2021.

The 1979 crisis began when Iranian students occupied the US embassy in Tehran, taking 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. The standoff lasted 444 days. The detention of Tahmasebi and her family has drawn attention to the continuing impact of that historical conflict on individuals with no direct involvement.

Jack Mirkinson, a senior editor at The Nation, said Tahmasebi wrote the account from inside the facility, where she has limited access to email. She submitted it to the magazine through her lawyer. The article provides a first-hand account of the conditions inside US immigration detention and the emotional toll on families.

The case raises questions about the extent to which the US government may consider family ties to historical figures when determining immigration status. Tahmasebi's account underscores the personal consequences of policies that hold individuals accountable for actions of relatives long before their birth.