Full Breakdown
ICE’s Coordinated Deportations of Iranian Detainees (2025-2026)
8/21/2026, 8:42:23 PM
Core Event
In late 2025 and early 2026 ICE arranged three flights that returned more than 100 Iranian nationals from U.S. detention to Iran. Emails obtained by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) show ICE officials repeatedly amended removal manifests at the request of Iranian diplomatic representatives, even as a 12-day armed conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran raged in June 2025. The operation continued despite ICE staff noting logistical hurdles such as closed Iranian airspace and the lack of Iranian travel documents.
Background & Context
The deportations followed a Trump-administration “mass-deportation” agenda revived after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. An earlier agreement allowed Iran to request the return of up to 400 Iranians, many of whom had fled persecution. The effort coincided with a June 2025 cease-fire between the United States, Israel and Iran and public statements from President Donald Trump warning Tehran residents to evacuate.
Timeline
- June 13–24 2025 – 12-day exchange of strikes.
- June 16 2025 – Acting ICE director Todd Lyons called the repatriation a “priority.”
- June 19 2025 – Acting Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles ordered removal of all “removable” Iranians.
- Late September 2025 – First deportation flight departed the United States.
- December 2025 – Second flight carried additional detainees.
- January 2026 – Third flight left weeks after a major uprising in Iran was violently suppressed.
Data & Statistics
- More than 100 Iranians were flown back on the three flights.
- Iranian officials said the agreement could accommodate up to 400 returnees.
- ICE records listed 244 Iranians with final removal orders in custody and 2,578 with orders outside custody in June 2025.
- An internal email noted a plan to deport 58 Iranians with final orders at one point.
Official Statements & Responses
- DHS called the allegation that ICE shared asylum-application records with Iranian officials “FALSE.”
- The White House has not issued a direct comment on the specific deportations; DHS and ICE declined to comment on the emails when approached by reporters.
Criticism & Opposition
Human-rights activists argue that returning individuals to a regime that criminalizes homosexuality and Christian conversion violates U.S. non-refoulement obligations. A lawsuit filed by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund alleges ICE illegally shared confidential asylum information with Iranian officials, a claim DHS disputes.
On-the-Ground Reports
Detained Iranians said Iranian diplomats summoned them and possessed detailed knowledge of their asylum claims. Eleven detainees testified that Iranian officials interrogated them while in ICE custody. An unnamed ICE official later wrote, “I have no idea how the case/person got through on the plane,” after an Iranian national not listed on the final manifest was boarded.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on who initiated the deportations. PBS-derived emails emphasize Iranian embassy requests to amend manifests, while Reason-based reporting attributes the operation to a direct White House directive. The exact number of deportees also varies: some reports cite “more than 100,” others reference a potential “400” under the bilateral agreement. Whether detainees volunteered or were coerced remains unclear.
