Washington – Emails obtained by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) show that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials communicated directly with Iranian embassy officials to modify deportation manifests and arrange three flights that returned over 100 Iranian nationals to Iran in September and December 2025 and January 2026.
Emails detail last‑minute changes at Iran’s request
In a series of messages exchanged in August 2025, an ICE officer wrote, “Per request from the Iran Embassy I added a few cases.” A week later another officer noted a meeting with the “Director at the Iranian Embassy” and indicated another amendment to the removal list. By late September, ICE staff were still receiving requests for three additional individuals to be placed on the flight that was scheduled to depart three days later.
One email from an unnamed ICE official on September 26 said the Iranian Embassy continued to submit names, while a later note indicated that some of those requests were denied. The final flight was smaller than originally planned, and the emails confirm that at least one person who was not on the official manifest was nevertheless boarded.
Deportations proceeded amid a 12‑day U.S.–Iran‑Israel conflict
The correspondence shows ICE officials treating the deportations as a high priority even as Iran and the United States were exchanging strikes in June 2025. Former acting ICE director Todd Lyons labeled the repatriation of Iranian immigrants a “priority” in an email to ICE removal operations chief Marcos Charles. Charles forwarded the message to senior staff, urging them to develop a plan to deport 58 Iranians who were in ICE custody at the time.
ICE staff later noted logistical challenges: Iran was not issuing travel documents for many of those slated for removal, and Iranian airspace was closed during the conflict. Nevertheless, officials were instructed to identify a solution for what the White House described as a priority.
Concerns over due process and asylum information
Human‑rights advocates have criticized the flights, noting that Iran’s government routinely persecutes women, religious minorities, and political dissidents. Federal regulations enacted in the late 1990s prohibit U.S. agencies from sharing asylum application details with foreign governments, yet a lawsuit filed by an unaffiliated Iranian interest group alleges that ICE disclosed confidential information to Iranian officials.
Eleven Iranians detained by ICE reported being forced to meet Iranian officials while in custody, during which the officials obtained intimate details about their asylum claims. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied the allegations, calling them “FALSE.”
Background on the broader policy
Iranian officials have previously claimed that up to 400 Iranians could be returned under an agreement made during the Trump administration, asserting that many had entered the United States illegally from Mexico. The newly released emails provide the most detailed, step‑by‑step view of how the U.S. and Iranian governments coordinated these removals.
While the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the specific emails, the documents illustrate a departure from the United States’ longstanding practice of offering refuge to Iranian dissidents and exiles since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Implications for future deportations
The revelations raise questions about the balance between diplomatic cooperation on immigration enforcement and the constitutional rights of individuals seeking asylum. Critics argue that sharing asylum‑related information with a foreign government that may persecute returnees undermines due‑process protections guaranteed by the Constitution.
As the United States continues to grapple with immigration policy and foreign‑policy challenges, the emails underscore the complexity of coordinating deportations with nations that have strained relations with Washington.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
