In a significant and quiet operation, the Trump administration has deported roughly 100 Iranian migrants from the United States back to their homeland. This information comes from two senior Iranian officials involved in the negotiations and a U.S. official familiar with the plans, all speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.
Iranian sources indicated that a U.S.-chartered flight departed from Louisiana on Monday evening, expected to reach Iran via Qatar on Tuesday. The U.S. official confirmed that preparations for this flight were in their final stages, marking a notable development in diplomatic relations and immigration enforcement.
This mass deportation represents one of the most aggressive actions yet by the Trump administration to remove migrants, irrespective of the human rights conditions in their destination countries. Earlier this year, the U.S. previously deported a group of Iranians, many of whom were Christian converts facing potential persecution at home, to both Costa Rica and Panama. This expanding deportation campaign has already drawn legal challenges from immigrant advocacy groups.
For many decades, the United States traditionally offered refuge to Iranians fleeing their country, known globally for its harsh human rights record. Iran is recognized for persecuting women’s rights activists, political dissidents, journalists, lawyers, religious minorities, and members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, among other vulnerable groups.
The specific identities of the Iranians and their individual reasons for seeking asylum in the United States were not immediately disclosed. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in Iranian migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border, often seeking asylum due to fears of persecution based on their political or religious beliefs.
Historically, the United States faced difficulties or hesitated to deport migrants to certain countries like Iran, largely due to a lack of formal diplomatic relations and challenges in obtaining timely travel documents. This often resulted in migrants being held in detention for extended periods or released into the U.S. Prior to this, the U.S. had deported just over two dozen Iranians in 2024, the highest number in years, typically via commercial flights.
The Iranian officials confirmed that the deportees comprised both men and women, including several couples. Some individuals reportedly consented to leave after being held in detention centers for months, while others did not. The officials noted that in nearly all cases, asylum requests had either been denied or the individuals had not yet received a hearing before an asylum judge.
This deportation marks a rare instance of cooperation between the United States and the Iranian government, representing the culmination of several months of negotiations between the two nations, according to the Iranian officials.
One official further stated that Iran’s foreign ministry was overseeing the return of the deportees and had provided assurances that they would be safe and not encounter any difficulties upon arrival. Despite these assurances, many of the returning individuals expressed disappointment and, in some cases, outright fear.
Beyond its political oppression, Iran is currently grappling with a severe economic and energy crisis, characterized by a plummeting currency, sky-high inflation, widespread unemployment, and critical shortages of water and power. The nation’s economic situation is expected to worsen further following the recent reinstatement of United Nations Security Council sanctions, which took effect on Saturday.
This is a developing story.