Central Coast business owner, father of four in immigration custody

October 22, 2025

Editor’s Note: CalCoastNews reporters interviewed Kaveh Momtazian’s wife Jessica and his brother-in-law Josh Frantz regarding his flight from Iran, life in the United States and his current detention.

By KAREN VELIE

A Central Coast father of four, husband and business owner has spent the past four months in an immigration detention facility after ICE agents arrested him while he was driving home from the grocery store.

Persecuted over their Baha’i faith, in 1986, Kaveh Momtazian’s entire family fled Iran. Ten years later, the then 26-year-old Momtazian arrived in the United States on a visitor visa.

As a young man, he was arrested twice on minor charges that were later expunged.

Based on the arrests and overstaying his visa, in 2004 ICE picked him up and held him in an immigration detention facility for six months. In the end, because of bad diplomatic relations with Iran and issues with sending him to Germany, immigration authorities ordered him to check in every six months while he lived in limbo in the United States.

The government gave him an alien number, social security card and a driver’s license.

In 2013, Momtazian married Jessica Frantz and the couple unsuccessfully applied to emigrate to Germany.

They then moved to Santa Maria while. At the same time, Momtazian Jessica’s brother, Josh Frantz opened a business – Sir Grout Central Coast in San Luis Obispo.

Today at 55 years old, Momtazian is the breadwinner for his family that now includes four children ranging in age from six-months to 7-years old.

On June 22, during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the United States joined in dropping bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities. Also on June 22, ICE began rounding up Iranians previously permitted to remain in the United States, detaining 183 Iranians in just one week.

On June 22, Momtazian was driving home from the grocery store when ICE agents pulled in front, behind and his vehicle his vehicle. They arrested him, leaving his Toyota Camry in the middle of the road, several blocks from his home.

ICE agents allowed him to call his wife to tell her that an agent had thrown the car keys in their front yard. She was able to pick up the car before it was towed away.

After several days, ICE moved Momtazian to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, near Victorville. They allow him call his family on an almost daily basis.

An Orange County Superior Court judge recently vacated Momtazian’s prior charges based on merit. He has since applied to reopen his immigration case and plans to apply for citizenship based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen.

A family friend started a GoFundMe to help the family while Momtazian is detained.

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