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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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He was not just arrested, he was convicted, hence the expunging. Arrests do not need to be expunged. What were the “minor crimes”? “Young man”? He was 26yo+. And try staying in any other country in the world for 29 years illegally on a visitor visa. My last visa to Mexico was good for 90 days and you had to carry with you at all times. If you overstay you will find yourself in a Mexican jail, period.


21

All persons here overstaying there visas should get to self deporting or go put in the effort to bring the status of their visa for the United States back to legal……BECAUSE GUESS WHAT EVERYONE, ICE IS DETAINING AND DEPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HERE IN THE U.S.A. THAT ARE OVER STAYING THEIR VISA’S!!!!! IT’S AGAINST THE LAW!!!!!


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


16

Boy I wish our young people would be so inclined to make some capital and start their own businesses. Schools just don’t show them the motivation and so many turn to lives of crime or going on welfare. You know? This guy skirted a serious law nonetheless and I’m unsympathetic about this. It now takes an estimated income of $300K to raise a single child to the age of 18. I doubt this family raises that much money by the looks of this photo, but I could be wrong. “I fought the law and the law won,” as the saying goes, Mr. Momtazian. Time to face the music.


-20

This man has been living in the United States as an American for the majority of his life, he is the husband of an American and the father to American children. Where should he go? To despotic Iran or some other country that is not his home?


I don’t believe in open borders, there are true immigrant criminals and foreign nationals who should be deported. But rather than focusing on those hard cases that are in the public interest, ICE under the current administration is going after the easy cases that deprive our community of members who are living as fellow Americans and breaking up our neighbors only homes.


I am disturbed that the current administration seems to care so little for law abiding families and community members because they care more for easy numbers on a quarterly report. Go after the real criminals, leave this family alone.


Excellent reporting by CCN.


-10

ILLEGAL means ILLEGAL


I know, simple wordss are difficult to understand for Libocrats.


0

His in-laws, the Frantz family, voted for this top to bottom. FAFO


7

Baby, meet bathwater.


10

It may come to this, either we let him continue to raise his family or we the taxpayers will raise his family. Having him go through the naturalization process here sounds reasonable for his case as I was afforded that opportunity and sworn in at the courthouse in SLO. There are always excuses, good actors, etc., still we are a country that promotes responsible citizens. To be more explicit, his culture does not promote white trash druggy sponges.


18

You’re right, “his culture does not promote white trash druggy sponges.”


They promote “Death to America” & “Death to Israel”…


I’ll take the druggy sponges ANY DAY over AMERICAN HATING IRANIANS/MUSLIMS!!!!!!!!


-6

Sounds like the rapists and the mentally ill all you magas were warned about.

I wonder how many dogs and cats he ate while this animal was on the loose?

Truly pathetic times we are living in.


-59

Overstayed his visa in 1996. I overstayed my visa in Australia when I was young. 2 years working for cash at ridiculously low wage. I had a girlfriend and many friends. Wasn’t surprised when I was picked up and kicked out of the country. It sucked but there was never any hope of becoming a citizen there. You must have special skills for that. At least in US you have a chance if done lawfully.


14

Cool story. What’s that have to do with the article?


-17

You want to use this one guy as an example. This man is part of the lesson than 1% of POSSIBLY unjust deportations. He still broke the law by over staying his visa!!!!!


#45-47 WINNING!!!!!!!!!


12

Love the fact people like you are so concered about breaking the law. You rally around a convicted criminal who continues to fleece America. Care to talk about trumps corruption? Giving 40 billion to Argentina and screwing our own farmers? Price of everything more expensive since Trump lied about lowering prices? People losing health and food benefits?

Trump is a pathological liar and people like you are a laughing stock…

You shouldn’t be happy about being gullible. Sad


-14

If people like this guy were to start the process of becoming a legal citizen-would they be shielded from getting his car rammed or body slammed by 3 Proud Boys in ICE gear?

If the process protects them-they need to get with it to be a citizen.

The upside to all this craziness is that there is a better life in their 3rd world country right now.


-52

You should go join them gor s better life in their third world country……NEVERMIND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU KNOW LIFE ISN’T BETTER IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!!!!


5

You should go join them for a better life in their third world country, it would be a better fit for you……NEVERMIND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU KNOW LIFE ISN’T BETTER IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!!!!


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