BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. (WDNews) – A Blount County woman is pleading for help after her husband, an alleged former Iranian Army sniper, was detained by ICE agents over the weekend and now faces deportation.
Ribvar Karimi was one of 11 Iranian nationals arrested by federal agents following President Trump’s recent military strikes against Iran, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Authorities say Karimi had an Iranian military ID in his possession and is being held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Karimi reportedly served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021. He entered the U.S. last October on a K-1 fiancé visa to marry Morgan Karimi, a U.S. citizen and Blount County resident who is now 31 weeks pregnant.
DHS claims Karimi “never adjusted his status,” implying that the couple either failed to marry in time or did not apply for a green card. But Morgan Karimi says that’s not true.
“He came to the U.S. LEGALLY on a K1 fiancé visa. We followed all the rules—got married within the 90-day window just like we were supposed to,” she said in a Facebook post. “We’ve done everything by the book.”
The couple met online while playing Call of Duty Mobile in 2019. They married in February and have since been awaiting final immigration approvals. Morgan shared screenshots showing Karimi’s case was approved in January of this year.
Now, she’s asking for financial help to hire an immigration attorney in hopes of keeping her family together.
