Court Unseals Records Showing U.S. and Iran Coordinated Deportations During War
Judge Ana Reyes ordered 24-hour notice for future flights after learning officials contacted Iranian authorities to arrange travel documents for detainees.
By Ricardo Alvarez ·
Court documents unsealed on Thursday reveal that the Trump administration maintained secret channels with Iranian officials to coordinate the deportation of citizens during an active war. The records show that federal agencies worked directly with Tehran to identify Iranian asylum seekers in U.S. custody and arrange their removal, a process that bypassed traditional diplomatic hurdles.
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which brought the lawsuit, stated that at least 12 Iranian detainees were contacted by the Iranian Interest Section in the past week. These individuals were notified of upcoming deportation flights to Iran via Pakistan. The legal group noted that none of the contacted detainees received written notice from immigration authorities. Yasmine Chubin, the executive director of the organization, said one detainee attempted suicide after learning he might be returned to Iran. He was later moved to a detention center in Texas, a location often used prior to removal.
During an October 15 hearing, Judge Ana Reyes questioned the government’s plan to send individuals back to a country the President had recently described as lawless and an enemy of the United States. Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel confirmed the government was executing lawful orders of removal but stated no specific date had been set for the next flights. Reyes ordered the government to provide 24-hour notice to the court before finalizing plans to deport Iranians to Iran or any other country. She also required five days’ written notice before any deportation is carried out.
The lawsuit alleges that U.S. immigration agencies shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government. Hundreds of emails exchanged between officials showed how the two countries collaborated to arrange for more than 100 Iranians to be flown back on three separate flights. Those flights occurred in September and December 2025, and in January 2026. The Department of Homeland Security has denied sharing asylum application records with the Iranian government.
In a court filing on Wednesday, the Justice Department argued that the judge’s order acts as an injunction due to the threat of contempt proceedings. Reyes warned government attorneys that she would initiate such proceedings if the administration violated her notice requirements. The administration has historically used third countries to deport citizens when direct diplomatic relations are strained. During the current term, nations including El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama have accepted U.S. deportees. In June, an Iranian woman was deported to the Central African Republic as part of a group of two dozen migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the unsealed documents. The ongoing conflict has intensified scrutiny on how the U.S. handles noncitizens from nations with which it is fighting. The coordination between the two governments marks a distinct shift from decades of diplomatic hostility, as officials sought to secure travel documents and identify possible avenues for removal.
