Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian, 64, was doing what she loved: caring for her yard as she got ready for the day in the silence of a New Orleans morning. But in what her family claims was a targeted arrest, she was handcuffed by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and taken away without any warning when all she was doing was gardening.
Since 1978, Kashanian, a beloved mother, community volunteer, and lover of Persian food, has lived in the United States. She left Iran to come to the US on a student visa. She served on PTAs, helped to rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina, brought up a family, and achieved a reputation for always being there to lend a hand.
She did all of this for almost 50 years.
She is still staying in an ICE detention center, despite all of this, and she has no criminal record at all. Her arrest was made just hours after American airstrikes in Iran, which only heightens the growing divide between immigration enforcement and U.S.-Iran relations through the second term of the Trump administration.
Supporters say that a broader crackdown is now taking over Iranians like Kashanian, who used to be seen as low priority because of their cooperation and duration of residence.
A Life Built in America, Uprooted by ICE in Minutes
The human cost of ICE’s increasing detainment plan can be seen in Kashanian’s story. Kaitlynn Milne, her daughter, recalls that they didn’t find out until a neighbor saw Donna being taken away in an unmarked vehicle. ICE had not notified her family, as per The Guardian.
Russell Milne, her husband, stated, “Had the neighbors not walked out at the same time they were pushing her into the car, we would not have known she was take.” An hour later, Kashanian called the family. She told them that after being brought to a holding center in Mississippi, she was then transferred to a detention center in Louisiana.
Since then, there has been very little and unscheduled communication.
A day after the bombing of Iran on June 21st Donna Kashanian of New Orleans was arrested by ICE. She came to the U.S. in 1978 before the Shah was deposed. She has been trying to become a permanent resident of the U.S. for decades. She has no criminal record. @Carrasquillo @Timodc pic.twitter.com/xOgkwmc5Hx
— Jim Boyle (@JimGBoyle) July 1, 2025
Kashanian was given a stay of removal and met all immigration requirements. However, her asylum application, which was rejected many years ago due to fears of persecution due to her father’s links to the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran, was approved.
She once checked in with immigration officials during Hurricane Katrina, says her daughter. She worked in many school PTAs, Habitat for Humanity, and the NOLA Tree Project.
In the words of her daughter, “Everyone knew Kaitlynn’s mom (…) She was constantly helping with [the] upkeep of the schools. She was always there, always helping the teachers and custodial staff, anything to be supportive.”
Legal Limbo and a Family’s Race Against Time
Kashanian has not yet been assigned a caseworker, even though they have a strong case and an impeccable record. An overburdened immigration system has frustrated her family’s efforts to get an attorney. Immigration lawyers are overwhelmed, and cases like Donna’s get overlooked as ICE raids increase as well.
Kaitlynn noted, “We have been on the phone nonstop from 8am to 10pm almost every day the last week, trying to find help. However, thus far they haven’t gotten a lot of optimistic responses.” An already tricky legal proceeding is made even tougher by the apparent loss of some of Kashanian’s files, which is an issue that occurs in cases that go back decades.
Her family, meanwhile, is firm.
Get to know the story of Donna Kashanian. She has been in the United States for 47 years with the federal government’s knowledge. Donna is a New Orleanian. https://t.co/6NMPDFnpcr
— Mitch Landrieu (@MitchLandrieu) June 26, 2025
Russell has begun a letter-writing and grassroots effort to secure Kashanian’s release from custody. “We can move forward with next steps through the immigration offices,” he pointed out. “Right now, just getting her home is the challenge.”
Kashanian, who is well-known for her kind behavior, careful rice preparation, and chaotic optimism, is presently in a legal storm. Still, her daughter keeps going, finding strength in her mother’s artwork of a French book nook in her school library.
“She’s more worried about us,” said Russell. That’s just who Donna is, it seems.
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