A U.S. deportation flight carrying at least eight Iranian nationals, with an intended destination of Iran, was abruptly canceled Sunday morning, according to Ali Rahnama, an attorney with the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. The flight, which had already begun with detainees being loaded onto the plane in Mesa, Arizona, was bound for Georgia before continuing to Pakistan and then Iran. The reason for the cancellation was not provided.
This event follows revelations from recently unsealed court documents in a civil lawsuit filed by the fund. These documents indicate that the Trump administration had plans as recently as mid-October to deport Iranians to their home country, even amidst the ongoing war that began in February. The lawsuit, initiated in July, alleges that the U.S. government improperly shared confidential information about asylum seekers with Iranian officials.
Between September 2025 and January 2026, three deportation flights to Iran resulted in the removal of over 100 Iranian nationals. The administration's renewed plans highlight its commitment to a stringent immigration policy, including increased removals to regions that critics argue could endanger returnees.
The Department of Homeland Security, in response to inquiries, stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not comment on "prospective removal operations, including flight schedules, passenger manifests, destinations, or individual case details." The agency also declined to confirm future removal operations, reiterating the Trump administration's promise to "carry out the largest deportation operation in history."
In the past week, several Iranian nationals in immigration detention were notified of impending deportation flights to Pakistan and subsequently to Iran, according to their attorneys who confirmed these plans with DHS. Rahnama reported that an official from the Iranian Interests Section in Washington visited some of the detainees scheduled for Sunday's flight, informing them that the Iranian government would arrange their transport from Pakistan to Iran.
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund has called for a cessation of these removal flights, noting that they would reportedly be the first deportations of Iranians to Iran since the U.S.-Iran war commenced. The group's executive director, Yasmin Chubin, expressed bewilderment at the U.S. government's intention to deport asylum seekers to Iran during active hostilities, warning that the consequences could include persecution, torture, or death.
A U.S. District Court judge had previously ordered the U.S. government to provide 24-hour notice to the court of any finalized plans to deport Iranians, and five days' written notice before any such deportation. The defense fund argued in a court filing Sunday that the administration may have violated this directive by not providing adequate advance notice of the planned removal flight. Court documents filed by the government later that day were sealed.