A California man is refusing to take down his pro-Trump flag, even after ICE showed up at his house and detained his wife, an Iranian immigrant.
Arpineh Masihi, who came to the U.S. as a toddler fleeing Iran, was taken from her home in Diamond Bar, California by immigration officers on June 30. Despite being a decades-long resident and a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, Masihi was swept up in a wave of mass detentions targeting Iranian nationals.
Her husband, Arthu Sahakyan, told local outlet Fox 11 that ICE arrived at their home (where a massive “Keep America Great” Trump flag hangs proudly out front) and took his wife into custody. Before leaving, she kissed her kids goodbye. They haven’t seen her since.
The kicker? This family isn’t just passively political, they’re full-blown MAGA diehards.
“We supported Trump in the last election,” Sahakyan said. “We gave our kids MAGA hats. We wave the flag.” And still, ICE knocked on their door.
Masihi, now in her 40s, moved to the U.S. when she was just 3 years old. But around 15 years ago, her green card was revoked due to a theft conviction, Sahakyan said. Since then, she’s been trying to regain her legal status while regularly checking in with immigration officials.
Everything seemed to be going fine, until tensions between the U.S. and Iran flared up again. Just days after the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on June 21, Masihi was detained, along with over 130 other Iranian nationals, according to federal sources.
Sahakyan, while clearly missing his wife, says he still backs the crackdown. “I’m very for the U.S. vetting Iranian nationals because of the sleeper cells,” he told Fox 11. “I think it will resolve a lot of issues… even though I miss her dearly.”
As for Trump? He’s not blaming the POTUS. “Trump is not trying to do anything bad,” Sahakyan said, per PEOPLE. “He wants the best for the country. I’m just trying to make the best of it.”
Masihi, meanwhile, is reportedly being transferred to a different detention facility, and admitted over the phone that she’s growing worried about her future in the country she’s called home for nearly her entire life.
“I’m on the list to be going to a different facility,” she said tearfully during a call with Fox 11.
Despite it all, Sahakyan isn’t backing down. While friends have begged him to take the Trump flag down, he’s not budging.
“I’m still supporting Trump,” he said. “Even though my friends say, ‘Take the flag down, you’re going through a lot,’ I’m like, ‘No, the flag stands.’”
