A U.S. deportation flight intended to carry Iranian nationals to Iran was canceled Sunday morning, according to an attorney representing some of the detainees. At least eight individuals had been loaded onto a plane in Mesa, Arizona, for a flight that was set to travel through Georgia and then to Pakistan before reaching Iran, said Ali Rahnama, an attorney with the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. The flight was canceled without an explanation.
Court documents unsealed recently revealed that the Trump administration had plans to deport Iranians to Iran as recently as mid-October, even as the war in the region continues. The civil lawsuit filed by the fund alleges that the U.S. government improperly shared confidential information about Iranians seeking asylum with Iranian officials. Between September 2025 and January 2026, three deportation flights to Iran resulted in over 100 Iranian nationals being removed, underscoring the administration's commitment to its immigration enforcement policies, which critics argue could endanger returnees.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security 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 would not confirm future removal operations but reiterated its commitment to carrying out "the largest deportation operation in history."
Attorneys for Iranian detainees reported that over the past week, about a dozen Iranian nationals in immigration detention were notified of their scheduled deportation to Pakistan, and subsequently Iran. According to Rahnama, a senior official from the Iranian Interests Section in Washington contacted some of the detainees slated for Sunday's flight, informing them that the Iranian government would facilitate their transport from Pakistan to Iran.
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund has called for a halt to these removal flights, citing concerns that individuals could face persecution, torture, or death upon return to Iran, especially amid ongoing military hostilities. The group's executive director, Yasmin Chubin, expressed bewilderment at the U.S. potentially deporting asylum seekers to Iran under such circumstances. At least one individual reportedly volunteered for the canceled flight out of desperation to leave detention, though the number of others who may have volunteered remains unclear.