Danielle Pletka is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute whose work addresses U.S. foreign policy and national security.
Case
U.S. officials revoked the Hashemi–Tahmasebi family’s permanent residency and detained them, citing national-security and foreign-policy concerns tied to Eissa Hashemi’s mother. The family and its supporters say the government imposed guilt by association.
Role at the time: American Enterprise Institute senior fellow and opinion writer
Responding to
Did ICE Detain an Entire Family for What Eissa Hashemi’s Mother Did?
"Americans don’t believe in corruption of the blood. But neither do they want to provide a home to terrorists, enemies of the U.S., kleptocrats or their progeny."
The column combines an express rejection of corruption-of-blood reasoning with support for scrutinizing or excluding the progeny of hostile foreign actors, and it characterizes a blanket ban as potentially excessive.
Statement dates: April 19, 2026
