Fact Check: "Kashanian has no criminal record but faces deportation under Trump's immigration policies."
What We Know
Mandonna "Donna" Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian woman, has lived in the United States for 47 years and has no criminal record. She was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while gardening outside her home in New Orleans on June 24, 2025. Kashanian originally came to the U.S. in 1978 on a student visa and later applied for asylum due to fears of persecution related to her father's ties to the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran. Although her asylum application was denied, she was granted a "stay of removal," which allowed her to remain in the country as long as she complied with immigration check-ins, a requirement she reportedly met without fail (NOLA, The Guardian, Latin Times).
Kashanian's detention coincided with increased ICE activity targeting Iranians in the U.S., particularly following U.S. military actions in Iran. This reflects a broader trend under the Trump administration, which has intensified immigration enforcement, including detaining individuals who have previously been allowed to stay in the country while their immigration cases were pending (NOLA, The Guardian).
Analysis
The claim that Kashanian has no criminal record is supported by multiple sources, including her family and local news reports, which confirm her compliance with immigration laws and her lack of any criminal history (NOLA, Latin Times). The sources detailing her situation are credible and provide a consistent narrative about her life in the U.S. and the circumstances surrounding her detention.
The context of her detention under Trump's immigration policies is also well-documented. Immigration attorneys and experts have noted that the administration has increasingly targeted individuals who have been compliant with immigration requirements, viewing them as "low-hanging fruit" in efforts to meet deportation quotas (The Guardian). This suggests that Kashanian's case is not an isolated incident but part of a larger pattern of enforcement actions that disproportionately affect long-term residents with no criminal records.
Conclusion
The claim that "Kashanian has no criminal record but faces deportation under Trump's immigration policies" is True. The evidence clearly supports that she has lived in the U.S. for decades without any criminal activity and that her detention is a direct result of the intensified immigration enforcement policies implemented during the Trump administration.
