The administration of President Donald Trump maintained secret diplomatic negotiations with the Iranian government to arrange the deportation of Iranian nationals even as active wartime hostilities and US military strikes escalated, according to unsealed federal court documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The court filings, unsealed in federal district court, reveal that as recently as mid-October, executive officials were actively pursuing deportation arrangements with Tehran through an unnamed third country.
The disclosures have drawn intense scrutiny from federal judges and human rights organisations, which warn that forcibly returning asylum seekers to a country under active bombardment by the US military exposes them to severe danger and potential death.
Federal court orders injunction-like restraints on imminent removals
During a contentious hearing on 15 October, US District Judge Ana Reyes delivered a sharp rebuke to Justice Department attorneys representing the administration, questioning the legal and humanitarian basis of executing removals to a declared enemy state.
“We are at war with a country where the president of the United States has said, as recently as two or three days ago, if not yesterday, that it is essentially lawless… A country that is an enemy of the United States, according to the current president. A country that, according to our president, murdered tens of thousands of protestors,” Judge Reyes stated according to the hearing transcript.
“And what you’re telling me is that the United States of America is going to send individuals back to that region, facing what you and I and everyone who would ever look at this would know would be, at a minimum, a serious threat of certain death.”
Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel responded directly to the court: “Yes, your honour. The government is executing lawful orders of removal.”
Georgiev-Remmel added that no specific date had been finalised to carry out the removals.
In response, Judge Reyes issued binding judicial directives requiring the executive branch to provide:
24-hour notice of finalised plans: Immediate written notice to the court upon finalising any removal plans for Iranian nationals.
5-day notice before execution: At least five days of advance written notice before executing any deportation flight to Iran or any third country.
Judge Reyes explicitly warned government counsel that failure to comply with the notice order would result in immediate civil contempt proceedings.
In subsequent court filings, the Justice Department argued that the judge’s order functions as a de facto injunction against federal immigration enforcement given the threat of contempt and judicial sanctions.
Lawsuit alleges illegal sharing of confidential asylum data
The unsealed records arise from a federal lawsuit brought by the Iranian American Legal Defence Fund on behalf of Iranian asylum seekers held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The lawsuit alleges that US immigration agencies violated national regulations by sharing confidential asylum records with the Iranian government, exposing returnees to severe retaliation.
According to court filings, at least 12 Iranian detainees were contacted over the past week by officials from the Iranian Interest Section—the diplomatic representative office housed within the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC, handling Iranian consular affairs.
Detainees were informed of an upcoming deportation flight to Iran routed through Pakistan, with some told removals could occur as soon as the coming Sunday.
Yasmine Chubin, executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defence Fund, condemned the planned removals amidst ongoing military action.
“Some of those same asylum applicants, and others who could face the same death, are being sent back — all against a backdrop of further and intensifying US bombing of Iran,” Chubin stated.
“This flight must be stopped.”
Scope of prior operations and third-country removals
Internal emails among US immigration officials reveal that diplomatic contact with Tehran regarding deportations predated the war.
Hundreds of internal messages show that the US and Iran previously collaborated to fly more than 100 Iranians back to Iran across three separate charter flights in September 2025, December 2025 and January 2026.
Deportations to Iran have historically been rare due to the absence of formal diplomatic relations and fear of political persecution.
However, under the Trump administration’s expanded enforcement strategy, ICE has aggressively pursued deportations to third countries when direct returns face diplomatic impasses.
During the current administration, noncitizens – including Iranian nationals – have been deported to third-party nations, including El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Central African Republic (including an Iranian woman deported in June).
Human impact and distress among detainees
Legal counsel reported that none of the affected Iranian detainees received written notification from US immigration authorities regarding their scheduled removals, receiving only verbal notices from ICE officers or Iranian consular staff.
The emotional toll of the impending deportations led to severe distress within detention facilities. Court records confirm that one Iranian detainee attempted suicide upon learning he might be returned to Iran.
That individual and another detainee were subsequently transferred across state lines to a detention facility used specifically for individuals facing immediate removal.
International human rights activists and overseas advocates have expressed grave concern over returning individuals to Iran, where the governing foreign regime has intensified crackdowns on intellectuals, dissidents and political opponents.
