Newly released emails reveal that US immigration officials coordinated directly with Iranian authorities to deport Iranian nationals in 2025, despite heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. The correspondence, obtained by the National Iranian American Council and released on Tuesday, details how three deportation flights returned more than 100 Iranians to Iran between September 2025 and January 2026.
The emails suggest that Iranian officials had a degree of influence over which individuals were deported, with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials appearing to accept last-minute changes to deportation lists requested by Tehran. In one email from late August, an unnamed ICE official wrote: “Per request from the Iran Embassy, I added a few cases.” A week later, the same official noted: “Iran has requested that I amend the previous manifest and expedite the removal process,” after meeting with the “Director at the Iranian Embassy.”
Iranian officials selected deportees
Iranian officials stated in September 2025 that up to 400 Iranians could be returned under an agreement with the Trump administration. Most had entered the US illegally via Mexico, while others faced different immigration issues, according to Tehran. The emails do not clarify how often US officials were in direct contact with the Iranian government; some communications were relayed through Qatari intermediaries, who helped arrange flights via Doha, while others referenced regular meetings with the “Iranian delegation” and other unnamed officials.
It remains unclear whether the individuals on Iran’s list volunteered for repatriation or were coerced. Previous reporting from The New York Times revealed that asylum-seekers were among those deported, with some stating they were removed against their will. The emails indicate that the push for deportations came from senior levels of the Trump administration, even during the 12-day conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran in June 2025.
The deportation of Iranians to a country whose government has a pattern of violent persecution against women, religious minorities, and political dissidents has drawn significant criticism from human rights activists. The revelations come amid broader debates about migration policies and their human rights implications across the Atlantic.
In Europe, similar concerns have been raised about deportations to countries with poor human rights records. The European Union has consistently emphasized the importance of non-refoulement and the protection of asylum-seekers. The situation echoes EU support for the International Criminal Court in the face of US sanctions, highlighting transatlantic differences on legal accountability.
Lawsuit alleges ICE shared asylum information with Iran
The emails also show that ICE officials arranged meetings between Iranian officials and detained individuals on several occasions. These accounts mirror testimony from eleven Iranian asylum-seekers in an unrelated lawsuit filed in July by an Iranian interest group. The plaintiffs, held in immigration detention, said they were forced to meet with Iranian government officials while in ICE custody. According to sworn declarations filed in a Washington DC court, the Iranian officials knew intimate details about their asylum claims.
The lawsuit alleges that US immigration agencies have been illegally sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum-seekers with the Iranian government. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strongly rejected the allegations, stating in July: “These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE.”
These developments raise questions about the transparency and legality of deportation procedures, not only in the US but also in Europe, where similar practices have been scrutinized. For instance, European countries have faced criticism for returning asylum-seekers to countries where they face persecution, prompting calls for stricter oversight. The situation underscores the need for robust legal safeguards in migration management, a topic that remains contentious across the continent.
As the story unfolds, it is likely to fuel further debate on the ethics of deportation agreements and the protection of vulnerable individuals. For now, the leaked emails provide a rare glimpse into the opaque world of immigration enforcement, with implications that extend far beyond US borders.
