Deportation Flight of Iranians Canceled at Last Minute in Arizona, Attorney Says
A U.S. deportation flight carrying Iranian nationals was abruptly canceled on Sunday morning, November 8, just before departure from Mesa, Arizona, according to the Associated Press. Ali Rahnama, an attorney with the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, said at least eight Iranians were loaded onto the plane for a flight headed to the country of Georgia and then on to Pakistan, with Iran as the final destination. The flight was canceled without explanation and those aboard were returned to detention, he said.
The fund sued the federal government in July over its handling of information about Iranian asylum seekers. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes has not ruled on the claims, but she ordered the government to notify the court within 24 hours of finalizing any plan to deport Iranians and to give five days' written notice before any such removal.
In a court filing on Sunday, the fund argued the administration may have violated the judge's directive by failing to give advance notice of the flight, and it called for the removal flights to be halted. The government filed documents in the case later Sunday, but they were sealed.
The Department of Homeland Security told the AP that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not comment on prospective removal operations, including flight schedules, passenger manifests, destinations or individual case details.
Court records show three deportation flights went to Iran between September 2025 and January 2026, removing more than 100 Iranian nationals. The fund said Sunday's flight would reportedly have marked the first deportation of Iranians to Iran since the U.S.-Iran war began. (Source: Associated Press)
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国海关与边境保护局2025年1月执行的一次遣返航班（资料图，非本次航班）。CBP Photography 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection removal flight in January 2025 (file photo, not this flight). By CBP Photography, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
