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Central Coast business owner, father of four in immigration custody

October 22, 2025

Jessica and Kaveh Momtazian and their children

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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I agree with you Norcounty, which isn’t to say I don’t have some sympathy for the family. But at the end of the day they never got right with the law, and now face the consequences of the father’s laziness. I have friends in this identical situation, and I’ve warned them a number of times over the years to get their citizenship straightened out.


Be interesting to see how this plays out.


50

It’s a brutally bureaucratic, bloated, needlessly expensive, and ultimately nearly impossible process to get it “straightened out”. I am sure he has tried, I encourage you to try:


https://www.cato.org/blog/try-catos-new-immigration-game-find-path-us-citizenship


-8

I had 2 friends over the last decade earn their citizenship, and attended their celebrations. They were justifiably proud; anything worth having is worth working hard for…


18

This man’s story is all too common these days. Grossley manipulates the law, purposely marries a local, has children on American soil, and hopes the law doesn’t apply to you. See Ilhan Omar as the poster child for this tactic. Don’t forget: nobody is above the law.


12

“Nobody is above the law” has to be the most ironic line for a Trump voter. Trump voters don’t realize how moronic that sounds when talking about the unequal distribution of legal enforcement.


-7

Ms. Flipside, your MSNBC-inspired claims are not convincing.


-2

Is this how you voted for the power of the government to be applied? You know it is possible to support immigration laws while taking issue with how our government applies the law. This is a good example of a broken system, not a bad person flaunting our rule of law.

A moral, good, country would not threaten to send this man back to Iran, or perhaps some unknown foreign country to be placed in jail.

If they government would have called this man and asked him to show up some place he would have. You can tell by his history that he would do so. The over the top police state is by choice. People who cheer that on with this knowledge in hand suck.


-22

Many years ago I received a citation for not having liability insurance. Wile I explained to the judge that my auto policy should have covered a new purchase his response was “ignorance of the law is no excuse”. The fine was 4 times the insurance for a year. So send him back with his family.


11

Yes.


My entire American Patriots of Hispanic descent, surname and dark skin to match family VOTED FOR THIS.


ALL OF THIS!


#DeportThemAll (with malice if need be)


#AmericansFirst

#AmericaFirst


10

Just know there are plenty of people who want to get rid of all brown people. Then what? Probably would change your story.


-11

Yes, this is exactly how I expect the power of government to be applied per my vote!!!!


Uphold and enforce the laws on our books.


What don’t you comprehend about this concept? NEVERMIND, what am I thinking…..I know better than to try to get “Yawny the Commi” to use common sense!!!!!


MY BAD!!!


9

Can’t wait for everyone to be held to the high level you seem to have. You have a pathological lier as president who is not in prison because people like you think being a convict is a positive quality for a president.


-8

He had his trial and you and I both know the outcome. Just because YOU think someone is guilty doesn’t mean they are CONVICTED.


DID YOU SUDDENLY FORGET HOW OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM WORKS??? I think you have.


DJT had his trial and that is now over and NOW the majority of Americans voted for him to be our president, UNLIKE YOU.


I know its hard for you Flopside to see a government use common sense, enforce the law, define and enforce biological gender identity and get rid of DEI but us COMMON SENSE USING CITIZENS 100% support what this administration is doing!!!!!!


#45-47………….WINNING!!!!!!!


-2

Funny how you more than likely were NOT whining when Clinton and Soetoro were following the Rule of Law in regards to the immigration status of ILLEGAL INVADERS.


Your hypocrisy is hilarious!!!!!!


1

Nice post. Looks familiar. ;)


-2

I have multiple friends and acquaintances from Latin America and South America that fixed the legal status prior to this administration taking office. Two achieved citizenship!!!


Do i feel bad for this man and his family, YES!!!!


He should have corrected his legal status, NOBODY’S FAULT BUT HIS OWN!!!!


8

“He has since applied to reopen his immigration case and plans to apply for citizenship based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen.” This is his own fault!!!!


He should have been proactive on his status and he could have save himself from being detained and deported.


All persons here overstaying there visas should get to self deporting or go put in the effort to bring the status her is the United States back to legal……BECAUSE GUESS WHAT EVERYONE, ICE IS DETAINING AND DEPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HERE IN THE U.S.A.


C”mon, it’s old news and everyone around the world knows this is happening here in U.S.


33

This is a good story. It sounds like it will have a good ending.

Facts: laws broken, rules enforced, now going through the correct process.

None of this is ICE personnel’s fault. That’s why it’s called “law ENFORCEMENT”..


37

30 years of procrastination got him to this point. He had plenty of time to get his citizenship straightened out.


46

Too little, too late.


6

Lol, aww another “Maryland dad” story from our own CCN and would expect better from you guys than this. Sounds like he had plenty of time to apply to stay based on his wife’s citizenship, why didn’t he? They all have to go.


7

F**k ICE and f**k anyone who supports these Gestapo-like tactics.


-104

This is sadly unfortunate for this man. He should have dealt with his legal status prior to June 22nd and had his legal status solidified. This is his own fault, ESPECIALLY with ICE moving around our communities and enforcing immigration laws. Had he taken care of his immigration status there would be no story on this guy.


I know its hard for you Mr. Lost-N-Space to swallow the fact that this admin. is one that ENFORCES the current immigration laws on the books. Your name says it all to me.


I hope to see ICE continuously cleaning up our local communities and continue these sweeps in our communities, AND DON’T LET ME FORGET TO SAY F**K YOU TOO!!!


35

Im support the law… if you don’t like the law vote in a direction to change it….


45

And that’s where the debate ends and usually turns to violence.


3

WE THE PEOPLE, in the current vast majority, VOTED FOR THIS. ALL OF THIS!


Funny how you more than likely were NOT whining when Clinton and Soetoro were following the Rule of Law in regards to the immigration status of ILLEGAL INVADERS.


REEEEEEEEEEEEEE


The hypocrisy is laughable.


American/Californian Patriot #Hispanics4Trump, #Hispanics4TRUERepublicans and the Rule of Law. ⚖️


POTUS DJT #45-47


Winning!


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