ICE Detains Multiple Green Card Holders Amid Heightened Enforcement on September 2, 2025

SEATTLE, WA and LOS ANGELES, CA (September 2, 2025) - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continued its intensified enforcement of lawful permanent residents today, detaining or holding at least three green card holders under varied circumstances.

Olympia Resident Placed in Solitary Confinement A Filipino green card holder, who has lived in the United States since childhood, was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on May 15 and transferred to ICE custody in the Northwest Detention Center in Washington. According to his family, he has endured severe conditions-including prolonged solitary confinement and restricted access to clean water-since arriving for a family visit to the Philippines. His spouse decried the “complete lack of empathy and concern regarding basic necessities” during a Labor Day demonstration in Seattle this morning.

Studio City Business Owner’s Wife Detained After Citizenship Exam In Los Angeles, ICE detained Sharareh Moghadam, a green card holder who recently passed her U.S. citizenship exam, following what she believed was a routine in-person immigration appointment. Moghadam, originally from Iran, was transferred to a detention facility in Phoenix. Her husband, local balloon shop owner Hooshang Aghdassi, insists she has no unaddressed criminal history and was on track to naturalization when detained. An ICE spokesperson, however, maintains she has prior theft convictions that render her removable under immigration law.

Green Card Applicant Released After 26-Day Detention Also reported today, a Tunisian musician and green card applicant, held at ICE’s Eloy Detention Center following the expiration of his B-2 visa, was released after 26 days in what he called “inhumane” conditions. He remains committed to his green card application and said his faith in the U.S. persists despite his detention.

These cases underscore ongoing tensions over ICE’s authority to detain lawful permanent residents and applicants-often on the basis of long-resolved or minor offenses-and have drawn protests and legal challenges across multiple states.