Another day, another MAGA face eaten by a leopard.
The "it wasn't supposed to happen to me" movement claimed two more victims on Sunday, June 22, when Ribvar Karimi was abducted by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a sweep that included 11 Iranians.
In the aftermath, Karimi's Alabama-born wife, Morgan Gardner Karimi, and her friends and family took to social media to plead their case.
In a post on the couple's wedding website, Morgan wrote of Ribvar:
"He brought happiness back to me, and taught me what it is like to be loved correctly. 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."
But DHS is portraying her husband in a much different light.
According to a DHS press release:
"On June 22, ICE Atlanta arrested Ribvar Karimi in Locust, Alabama. Karimi reportedly served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021 and at the time of his arrest, in his possession, he had an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card."
"He entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa, which is reserved for aliens engaged to be married to American citizens, in October 2024 under the Biden administration."
"Karimi never adjusted his status—a legal requirement—and is removable from the United States. He’s currently in ICE custody, where he’ll remain pending removal proceedings."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement:
"Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise."
"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."
While mention of his past military service in his home country—where an enlistment of two years is a requirement for all men upon turning 18—makes for good fearmongering, it's not the reason for his detainment and pending deportation.
According to DHS, Karimi's wife, Morgan Gardner Karimi, applied in 2023 for a K-1 visa for the purpose of getting married to Ribvar and in October 2024 he obtained one. The couple had been in a long distance relationship for five years, meeting periodically in Istanbul, Turkey to spend weeks together, before returning to their respective countries.
According to Morgan Karimi:
"We applied for the K1 visa in August of 2023, it took 15 months just to process our visa application."
After a six-month interview process and an intense background check, the visa was issued. A few months later, they were married.
Now, Ribvar Karimi is likely headed back to Iran—where his wife fears his support of America may prove to be a death sentence in the wake of the Trump administration's direct assault against the sovereign nation.
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But according to the DHS press release, Karimi didn't apply for an adjustment of status to become a lawful permanent resident—get a green card—by "filing Form I-485 with United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS), along with other required documents and fees."
There is a 90-day deadline to get married from the issuance date of a K-1 visa, which the Karimi's met. However, according to the USCIS website, there is no mandated deadline for filing the I-485 application after the marriage.
CBS 42 WIAT, the local news, interviewed Gardner Karimi about her husband's situation.
Gardner Karimi told WIAT:
"Ribvar never fought any American forces or our allies... he actually fought ISIS himself and was captured at one point."
From a family of supporters of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, Gardner Karimi added:
"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."
While Morgan didn't vote in the last election, she said she and her MAGA family feel betrayed.
Gardner Karimi revealed her attorney said previous presidential administrations would not have abducted her husband and he should have been protected because he is married to a U.S. citizen. She added they put his costly green card application on hold after they found out she was pregnant and she had pregnancy complications.
Gardner Karimi stated:
"All of the paperwork had been completed and ready to file. We were ready to send it in and planned on doing so as soon as I gave birth."
In an interview with Newsweek, Morgan Karimi shared:
"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."
"This man wears the American flag proudly, and it's a shame that someone who is so proud to be here is at risk of being robbed of building the life he has dreamed of for so long. His groom's cake at our wedding was an American flag cake."
Now Gardner Karimi and her family feel betrayed by Trump.
"I am just so heartbroken and desperate to get my husband home before I give birth. We believed in [Trump's] immigration policies and were completely blindsided and truly believed that only criminals were being detained."
"Everyone feels like a fool and regrets the decision [to support Trump]... At this point, I believe there are bad people on the left and the right."
After getting a wider audience, opinions of the situation came quickly, with some supporting Ribvar and Morgan...
While others believed DHS's "logic" that anyone from Iran who served in the military is probably a sleeper cell terrorist.
Cam Hays/Facebook
Sympathy was hard to come by on the left or the right.
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The Ware County Republicans of Georgia had an extra level of vitriol for Ribvar and Morgan Gardner Karimi.
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Some attacked Morgan Gardner Karimi for marrying an Iranian.
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Others focused on what Ribvar Karimi looked like.
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Gardner Karimi was hoping public pressure would help her, but the people like her family who support Trump also believe her husband "looks" like a terrorist.
The people who oppose Trump's racist and xenophobic policies have little sympathy when MAGA eat their own.
If she wants to plead her case to Donald Trump, she'll need to get in line behind all the other MAGA supporters he's already harmed since January.
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