DHS calls detention a choice in response to the family's departure request
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityDepartment spokesperson responding to the BBC
DHS told the BBC that detention was a choice and directed it to the CBP Home departure program when asked about this family's voluntary-departure request. Family attorney Curtis Morrison disputed their eligibility for that program.
“Being in detention is a choice”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Did ICE Detain an Entire Family for What Eissa Hashemi’s Mother Did?
On April 11, 2026, the U.S. State Department said it had terminated the lawful permanent resident status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son, and that ICE had them in custody pending removal. Officials cited family ties and foreign-policy or national-security grounds; the family, its lawyers, and other commentators have disputed the action as family-based punishment. This case records those competing positions without deciding the legal validity of the action or the family’s current status.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
BBC's original request for a DHS comment on this family's departure request and the response from family attorney Curtis Morrison. DHS offered general language about detention being a choice and directed the BBC to the CBP Home program; Morrison said the family was not eligible. These statements establish a dispute, not proof that the program was available to this family or a determination of their legal status. The article was published August 19, 2026; exact statement times are unknown. The August 12 departure-order exhibit and August 22 changed-facts notice have not been reviewed, so these historical assertions do not establish later eligibility, departure or custody status. This is the same BBC report as source361 at a distinct statement locator, not independent corroboration.
Before the quotation
The BBC asked DHS to comment on the family's request to leave the United States voluntarily.
After the quotation
Morrison told the BBC that the family members were lawful permanent residents and were not eligible to use the app. The report was published August 19 and does not establish their later departure status.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether ICE detained the family for what Eissa Hashemi's mother did. Asked about the family's request to leave, DHS says "Being in detention is a choice" and points them to its departure program, presenting continued detention as the family's own choice. That defends the detention, so we labeled it Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Explicitly declined; it loses because DHS gives a reason for the detention rather than refusing to discuss it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseCurtis Morrison questions DHS about six months of family detention
“If what makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S., why have you detained Eissa Hashemi, his wife, and minor child in Texas now for 6 months?”Read statement
Nirav Sheth's campaign declines to comment on the Hashemi-Tahmasebi case
“My campaign generally does not comment on individual immigration cases without comprehensive information. ... Therefore, we will decline to comment further on this specific case.”Read statement
Tim Miller likens the Tahmasebi-Hashemi family's detention to internment camps
“we're doing internment camps again.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "DHS calls detention a choice in response to the family's departure request". First published: 2026-10-11. Last updated: 2026-10-11. https://disputeindex.com/events/5524-dhs-told-the-bbc-that-detention-was-a