In a rare agreement between the United States and Iran, the Trump administration has deported about 100 Iranian migrants back to their home country on a plane to the Islamic Republic, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The report cited two senior Iranian officials and an American official familiar with the matter.
The migrants were deported aboard a plane chartered by the U.S. government, which departed late Monday from Louisiana. The flight is scheduled to make a stop in Qatar before continuing to Iran.
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A previous deportation flight to Guatemala carried out by Trump administration earlier this year.
(Photo: X)
The Times described the move as a dramatic part of the Trump administration’s push to carry out the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history. The newspaper noted that the deportation involved a hostile nation, despite Iran’s record of human rights abuses under its clerical regime and its worsening economic crisis, which is expected to deepen with the return of international sanctions.
Earlier this year, the U.S. deported several Iranian migrants, many of them Christians who said they faced persecution in Iran, but those individuals were sent to third countries, including Panama and Costa Rica. Those deportations led to legal challenges, with plaintiffs alleging violations of their rights.
For decades, the U.S. has generally avoided deporting migrants to countries accused of human rights abuses, such as Iran. But under President Donald Trump, deportation became a top priority. According to the report, the deal with Tehran was finalized despite high tensions between the two nations, following Trump’s decision in June to join Israel in a 12-day military campaign and strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
The two Iranian officials who spoke with the NYT said the deportation followed several months of talks. One said Iran’s Foreign Ministry coordinated the return and claimed the deportees had received assurances that their safety would be protected. “Many of the migrants are still disappointed, and some are even afraid,” the official said.
The report did not say whether Iran received anything in return for agreeing to accept the deportees.
It remains unclear who the deported individuals are, but the group reportedly includes both men and women, including some couples. According to the Iranian officials, some migrants “volunteered” to board the flight after months in U.S. detention centers, while others did not go willingly. Some had their asylum claims denied, while others had yet to appear before a judge.