Iran has announced that approximately 40 Iranian nationals held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers will be repatriated to Iran this Sunday, January 25, 2026, on a chartered flight. The announcement, made by Abolfazl Mehrabadi, head of Iran’s Interests Section in Washington, confirms that these individuals have been detained in the U.S. for months on immigration-related grounds and will now depart from an airport near Phoenix, Arizona, with brief stops in Egypt and Kuwait for transit formalities.
This planned repatriation is part of a series of deportation flights under the Trump administration’s strict immigration enforcement policy, which has targeted foreign nationals, including Iranians, deemed to be residing illegally in the United States. In late 2025, Iran confirmed that another group of Iranian nationals—comprising more than 50 people—had already been repatriated on a previous flight, the second such transfer following an initial group earlier in the year.
While both U.S. and Iranian officials describe these operations as procedural returns due to alleged immigration violations, the move has drawn strong criticism from human rights groups and immigrant advocates. According to the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), some of those on the list—including at least two gay men detained in Arizona—face severe persecution if returned to Iran, where homosexuality is punishable by death and where LGBTQ+ individuals and other minorities face harsh penalties. Legal efforts are reportedly underway in U.S. courts to halt at least some of the deportations, but organizers say these measures may not be sufficient to stop the flights.
The deportation plans come against the backdrop of escalating US-Iran tensions, including disputes over civil unrest in Iran, debates over military action, and diplomatic disagreements between the two countries, which have not had formal diplomatic relations for decades. For years, the United States has been a destination for Iranian asylum seekers, dissidents, and long-term residents fleeing political repression or seeking better opportunities, and many Iranians have lived, worked, and raised families in the US under various legal statuses.
Iranian officials have offered mixed reactions. Some spokespeople emphasize that Iranian citizens are free to return home if they wish and that repatriation flights are conducted with their consent. Others have strongly criticized these actions, saying they are the result of discriminatory policies that target foreigners and violate their rights. Tehran has also lodged complaints about reports of harsh and “inhumane” treatment of those detained in US custody.
Human rights organizations warn that once returned, these individuals could be at risk within Iran’s own justice system, which has been criticized for its treatment of political prisoners, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other vulnerable groups. The decision to deport these individuals has sparked protests from activists in the US and highlighted deep divisions over immigration policy and humanitarian concerns. As the deportation flights continue, courts, campaigners, and the families of those detained are embroiled in a tense legal and ethical battle over their fate.