ICE, Iran quietly worked together on deporting Iranians to Iran, emails show

Key Points:

• Newly released emails reveal that U.S. immigration officials coordinated with Iranian government representatives to deport over 100 Iranians on three flights between September 2025 and January 2026, despite escalating tensions between the two countries.
• Iranian officials influenced the selection of deportees, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) making last-minute changes to deportation lists at Iran's request, even amid a deadly 12-day conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran in June 2025.
• The deportations mark a significant shift from the longstanding U.S. policy of providing refuge to Iranian dissidents and have drawn criticism from human rights groups due to Iran's record of persecuting women, religious minorities, and political opponents.
• Internal emails indicate the deportation efforts were a high priority for the Trump administration, with ICE officials pressured to proceed despite logistical challenges such as closed Iranian airspace and ongoing conflict.
• Allegations have emerged that ICE may have shared confidential asylum-seeker information with Iranian authorities, a claim denied by the Department of Homeland Security, while some deportees reported forced meetings with Iranian officials while in U.S. detention.