Edward Wong is a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times covering global affairs, U.S. foreign policy and the State Department. He is the author of At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning with China.
Case
On April 11, 2026, the State Department said it terminated the Hashemi–Tahmasebi family’s lawful permanent-resident status and that ICE held them pending removal. Officials cited family ties and foreign-policy or national-security grounds; the family and its lawyers called the action family-based punishment.
Role at the time: Journalist posting from his public X account
Responding to
U.S. termination of the Hashemi–Tahmasebi family’s residency status and ICE detention
"none of whom have done anything wrong"
The statement disputes the claimed justification, characterization or causal account without converting the speaker’s assertion into a finding.
Statement dates: September 8, 2026
