Saeed Ghasemimehr was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 26, 2025, at his residence in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has since been held under federal detention in the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minnesota.

Saeed came to the United States from Iran in 1979 at age 18 under a student visa and following the Iranian revolution, the taking of American hostages and the Iran/Iraq war, he sought political asylum. His asylum petition was denied twice in the years that followed. Since then, he has continued to reside in the United States with continued check-ins with United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officials and has been allowed to remain and work in the country.

In 2018, he married Timiya, an American citizen and currently has a 4-year-old daughter named Sevyn. He has been in the process of obtaining a permanent residence status (Green Card) and eventual citizenship through marriage. In the best of cases, this process can take years, depending on the circumstances and availability of immigration judges.

Saeed's arrest came just a few days following his regular six month visit with INS with instructions from officials to return in six months.

Saeed has been a productive member of his community. He has owned/managed two restaurants and has worked as a soccer referee. Those who know Saeed know him as a generous, friendly, and hardworking individual who is well-loved by his

friends and family. He is an avid soccer fan and a big supporter of the famous German club, Bayern Munich FC.

His friends are asking two things:

1. Please donate money to help support him with financial obligations such as mortgage payments and accumulated bills. Money will also be used to help pay the costs of his legal representation.

2. Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to look into Saeed's case, Their help using official channels could bring an end to this unjust detention. Contact information for Senators Smith and Klobachar and Representatives Omar, Craig, McCollum and Morrison is available online.

Please give and do what you can to help Saeed as we pray for justice to be served and Saeed released. Thank you!