Dozens of Iranian nationals deported from the United States are due to arrive in their home country over the next few hours, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran said on December 7, the second such repatriation under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“In the coming days, about 55 nationals will return to Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. “This is the second group being returned to Iran in the last few months.”
The spokesman claimed the deportations were based on “political grounds and anti-migrant policies that are against international law.”
CNN reported that the flight is expected to arrive in Iran, via Kuwait, later on December 7. The first flight, carrying 120 people, arrived in Tehran via Qatar in October.
The United States and Iran do not have direct diplomatic relations, and most interactions are conducted through intermediary parties. However, the transfer of deportees involved an unusual amount of coordination between Washington and Tehran.
Accusations Against Iran
Washington and its Western allies have slapped severe financial sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of attempting to develop a nuclear weapon and of supporting extremist violence in the Middle East. Iran denies the allegations.
Human rights advocates have consistently urged the United States not to expel individuals to countries with poor rights records. Iran’s record, they say, is among the worst.
The Islamic republic continues widespread persecution of political dissidents, activists, religious minorities, and LGBTQ individuals.
In recent years, significant numbers of Iranians have joined larger migrant flows through Central America into the United States, citing those same risks as reasons for seeking asylum.
US authorities in September said the government had identified some 400 Iranians to be deported.
Following the first deportations, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson was quoted by AP as saying: “The Trump Administration is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history, using all the tools at our disposal.”
The United States in early December paused all pending immigration application for nationals from 19 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan.
The move followed the attack on two US National Guard members three blocks from the White House by a suspect authorities say entered the United States from Afghanistan in 2021.
The man was charged with murder after one of the National Guard members died. The other victim remains hospitalized.
