US and Iran Coordinated Deportations of Iranian Migrants Despite Political Tensions

Internal documents and communications between US immigration authorities, revealed by the National Iranian American Council and published by AP, expose surprising cooperation between Washington and Tehran in coordinating deportation flights of Iranian citizens. From September 2025 to January 2026, the two governments arranged the deportation of over 100 Iranians on three separate flights. The correspondence shows that Iranian regime representatives and the embassy in Tehran directly influenced who was deported, with US officials accommodating last-minute changes and additions to deportation lists. In some cases, detained Iranians in US facilities were forced to meet with official regime representatives who possessed sensitive information about their asylum claims.

Despite ongoing military tensions, including a 12-day conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran in June 2025, the highest levels of the Trump administration prioritized carrying out these deportations. US immigration officials pushed forward despite internal warnings about logistical challenges, Iran’s closed airspace, and the lack of official travel documents at the time. Human rights activists sharply criticized the operation, highlighting its contradiction with the US government’s stated opposition to the Iranian regime and emphasizing that the primary goal was mass deportation by any means necessary.