An Alabama woman married to an Iranian immigrant says her family regrets supporting President Donald Trump and his aggressive immigration policies after ICE detained her husband over the weekend as part of a recent round-up of Iranian nationals.
“We believed in his [Trump’s] immigration policies and were completely blindsided and truly believed that only criminals were being detained,” Morgan Gardner told Newsweek.
Gardner’s husband, Ribvar Karimi, was one of 11 Iranian nationals arrested Sunday and taken into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security claimed the arrests reflect its “commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities.”
DHS has painted Karimi as a threat to national security, saying he served as a sniper in the Iranian army from 2018 to 2021 and had an Islamic Republic of Iran army identification card.
Military service is compulsory in Iran for all men aged 18–49. Draft evaders face prosecution and may lose their social benefits and civil rights, including employment, education and the ability to leave the country. Deserters face imprisonment.
“We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Gardner told CBS affiliate WIAT that her husband “never fought any American forces or our allies,” and said “he actually fought ISIS himself and was captured at one point” during his service.
According to the couple’s wedding website, they first met online playing the video game Call of Duty: Mobile.
“He brought happiness back to me, and taught me what it is like to be loved correctly,” Gardner wrote on the site. “He encouraged me, and still encourages me each and every day. He sees the best in me, and never has given up, despite how difficult I can be sometimes.”
Gardner’s cousin Cyndi Edwards wrote in a GoFundMe set up to offset legal fees that the couple spent years “meeting in Turkey while navigating the complex immigration process.”
“Ribvar quickly became a beloved member of Morgan’s rural Alabama community, supporting her family and friends, and caring for Morgan’s father during a health crisis,” Edwards wrote.“Most importantly, Ribvar helped Morgan find her self-worth and guided her toward a healthier, happier life.”
DHS said Karimi entered the U.S. legally in October 2024 under a K-1 marriage visa reserved for people engaged to American citizens. However, he never adjusted his status, which is a legal requirement, and not doing so can trigger a removal order.
Gardner told WIAT that her attorney said previous administrations would not have let her husband be taken away and that he should have been protected because he is married to a U.S. citizen. She added that she and Karimi put his green card application on hold after she found out she was pregnant and had pregnancy complications.
“I understand that they’ve got a job to do, immigration, but I just feel like he was specifically targeted because of what’s going on where he’s from, his home country,” Gardner told WIAT.
Gardner is seven months pregnant, but remains hopeful that her husband will be with her when she gives birth.
“My heart is broken,” Gardner told the outlet. “Our baby shower is going to be next weekend, and he’s not going to be at home to go to that with me.”
Giving birth alone is not Gardner’s only fear. She told Newsweek that Karimi’s family worries that if he were to be deported back to Iran, the government would kill him due to his open support for the U.S. and opposition to the Iranian regime.
“My husband himself, even being from Iran, supported Trump, his immigration policies, and understood he was trying to protect the American people and was praying he helped free the Iranian people,” Gardner told Newsweek.
While Morgan told the outlet she did not vote in the previous presidential election, her family has supported Trump in the past and now feels betrayed.
“Everyone feels like a fool and regrets the decision. I personally didn’t vote in the last election, and neither did my parents. At this point, I believe there are bad people on the left and the right,” Gardner said.
