U.S. Halts Iran Deportation Flight in Mesa, Arizona After Detainees Reach Tarmac

A U.S. deportation flight carrying Iranian nationals was canceled after at least eight people boarded in Mesa, Arizona. The passengers were returned to detention, according to an attorney with the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund.

Ali Rahnama, who represents some of the detainees, said the flight was canceled without explanation. The agency that ordered the cancellation has not been identified.

The Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not comment on prospective removal operations, including schedules, passenger lists, destinations or individual cases. That statement did not explain why this flight was called off.

The passengers’ custody and removal status after their return to detention has not been established. The cancellation did not itself resolve their cases.

The planned flight had 11 scheduled passengers and a route through two countries

The fund’s court filing said 11 Iranian nationals were scheduled for removal: 10 men and one woman. At least eight boarded. The larger scheduled group should not be mistaken for a confirmed passenger count.

Rahnama said the planned route went first to Georgia and then to Pakistan. He said the Iranian government was to transport the detainees from Pakistan to Iran. Neither country was described as the final destination.

A senior official from the Iranian Interests Section, an office handling consular affairs at Pakistan’s embassy in Washington, visited the eight detainees, Rahnama said. They were told Iran would arrange transport onward from Pakistan.

Rahnama said at least one person volunteered to return after nearly two years in detention. He described that person as desperate to leave what he called inhumane imprisonment. The number of other possible volunteers is unclear.

The court set notice deadlines, but has not ruled on the lawsuit

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered the government to give the court 24-hour notice of finalized plans to remove Iranians to Iran or another country. She also required five days’ written notice before a deportation.

The order came in a lawsuit filed in July by the fund. The suit alleges the government improperly shared confidential information about Iranians seeking asylum with Iranian officials. DHS has denied sharing asylum application records.

In its court filing about the planned flight, the fund argued that the government may have violated the advance-notice directive. That is an allegation, not a court finding. Reyes has not ruled on the lawsuit’s claims or the alleged notice violation.

The government filed court documents later that day, but the documents were sealed and inaccessible to the public. Their contents have not resolved the public questions about the cancellation.

At an October hearing, Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev told the judge that the government’s position on planned removals had changed:

The answer in August was no. Today that answer has changed and it is yes.

The fund’s executive director, Yasmin Chubin, warned about the risks of return. She said the consequences of removal “could be irreversible and individuals may face persecution, torture, or death.”

Another removal attempt has no established date

DHS has said it does not confirm future removal operations, and the court order sets notice requirements rather than automatically ending removal cases.

Detainees and family members should contact their immigration attorney or the fund’s attorneys involved in the case to check individual custody, removal plans and applicable court notices. Each person’s situation may differ.