A California family is remaining loyal to President Donald Trump—even after federal immigration agents detained one of their own.
Arpineh Masihi and her husband, Arthu Sahakyan, are outspoken Trump supporters. They voted for him, display a “Keep America Great” flag outside their home in Diamond Bar, California, and even gave their children MAGA hats.
But their visible support for Trump didn’t prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from showing up at their door on June 30 as part of the administration’s stepped-up deportation efforts. Masihi, an Iranian-born immigrant, was taken into custody that day, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
Masihi, now in her 40s, came to the U.S. as a refugee when she was just three years old. About 15 years ago, her green card was revoked due to a theft conviction. Since then, her husband says, she has worked to regain her legal status and had been regularly checking in with immigration authorities.
Those check-ins continued without incident—until tensions escalated following U.S. involvement in Israel’s war against Iran and the June 21 bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites. Federal sources told Fox 11 that Masihi was among more than 130 Iranian nationals detained in the days that followed.
Despite the emotional toll of her detention, Sahakyan expressed understanding for the administration’s immigration crackdown.
“I’m very for vetting Iranian nationals because of the sleeper cells,” he told Fox 11. “I think it will resolve a lot of issues because we’ll know exactly who’s here and for what reasons—even though I miss [my wife] dearly.”
Sahakyan said he doesn’t blame Trump personally for what happened.
“Trump is not trying to do anything bad. We understand what he’s doing,” he said. “He wants the best for the country. I’m just trying to make the best of it.”
Masihi was able to briefly say goodbye to her husband and kiss their children before ICE agents took her away. She has not been seen since. In a phone call with the news station, Masihi said she was being transferred to another facility and expressed deep concern over her immigration status.
“I’m on the list to be going to a different facility,” she said.
Despite his wife’s uncertain future, Sahakyan says his support for Trump remains unwavering.
“Even though my friends say, ‘Take the flag down, you’re going through a lot,’ I’m like, ‘No, the flag stands,’” he said.
