Iranian deportation flight from Arizona canceled after takeoff
Attorneys argue the sudden cancellation may violate court orders requiring advance notice of removal plans for asylum seekers.
By Elena Greco ·
A U.S. deportation flight carrying at least eight Iranian nationals was abruptly canceled Sunday morning after the plane had already departed Mesa, Arizona. The aircraft, bound for Georgia and then Pakistan, was turned around without explanation, according to Ali Rahnama, an attorney with the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund.
Rahnama represented some of the detainees on the plane. He stated that the eight individuals were loaded for a repatriation flight to Iran via a third country. Court documents unsealed days earlier showed the Trump administration planned these deportations as recently as mid-October. The records noted the war in Iran was still ongoing.
The lawsuit, filed in July, alleges the U.S. government illegally shared confidential information about Iranians seeking asylum with Iranian officials. Since September 2025, there have been three deportation flights to Iran, resulting in the removal of more than 100 nationals. The administration has confirmed new plans to continue removals despite the conflict.
In a statement to The Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not comment on prospective removal operations. The agency declined to confirm future flight schedules or passenger manifests. It asserted that the administration is employing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history.
Rahnama said the eight detainees were visited by a senior official from the Iranian Interests Section in Washington. The official told them the Iranian government would transport them from Pakistan to Iran. In the ongoing litigation, at least a dozen detainees have reported being contacted by Iranian officials who knew sensitive details of their asylum claims.
U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered the government to provide 24-hour notice of finalized deportation plans and five days' written notice before execution. In a filing Sunday, the defense fund argued the administration violated this directive. The government submitted sealed documents later that day. Yasmin Chubin, executive director of the fund, said the consequences of removal could be irreversible, with individuals facing persecution, torture, or death.
Rahnama noted that at least one detainee on the canceled flight volunteered to return to Iran after nearly two years in detention. He described the imprisonment as inhumane. It remains unclear how many other deportees may have chosen to leave.
