ICE and Iran worked together to deport Iranians from U.S., newly released emails show

Key Points:

• Emails reveal that ICE officials coordinated closely with the Iranian Embassy to amend deportation lists and expedite removal processes for Iranian detainees, including last-minute changes up to the day of deportation flights.
• The deportations occurred amid heightened tensions and conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran in mid-2025, with top Trump administration officials prioritizing the removal of Iranians despite difficulties posed by the war and closed Iranian airspace.
• Human rights advocates criticize the deportations, highlighting that many deportees were asylum-seekers or dissidents fleeing persecution, marking a shift from decades of U.S. policy that welcomed Iranian exiles after the 1979 revolution.
• ICE arranged meetings between Iranian government officials and detainees in U.S. custody, raising concerns about the sharing of confidential asylum information, which DHS denies despite a lawsuit alleging illegal disclosure of asylum claims.
• The coordination involved direct and indirect communication with Iranian officials, including through Qatari intermediaries, and some deportees were reportedly selected or handpicked by Iranian authorities, though it remains unclear if deportees consented to repatriation.