Trump admin held talks with Iran on deportations
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The gist
Court documents unsealed Thursday show the Trump administration held secret talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war.
The case tests whether sharing detainees' details with a wartime adversary was legal.
Background
The documents surfaced in a lawsuit brought by lawyers for the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, who allege US immigration agencies illegally shared confidential information on Iranian asylum seekers with Iran. The Department of Homeland Security is named as a defendant alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and the Department of State. The disclosures come amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, which DHS says involved over 600,000 deportations and roughly 1.9 million immigrants voluntarily leaving in 2025 alone.
How it unfolded
- Mar 2025 onwardPer the lawsuit, the State Department arranged monthly meetings with Iranian officials using the Pakistani embassy as an intermediary, sharing sensitive information about detained Iranian immigrants the US hoped to deport.
- Sep 2025Iranian officials acknowledged as many as 400 Iranians could be returned under an agreement with the Trump administration; the first of three deportation flights brought dozens back to Iran.
- Sep 30, 2025Iran said 120 of its nationals were being deported from the US, most flown to Iran via Qatar; foreign ministry official Hossein Noushabadi told Tasnim they would return within one or two days.
- End of Jan 2026The final recorded deportation flight departed, roughly a month before the war on Iran started.
- Dec 2025The second deportation flight took place.
- Mid-Oct 2026The administration said it planned to deport the Iranians through an unnamed third country, though it was unclear when.
- Oct 15, 2026Judge Ana Reyes made remarks in a court transcript about the administration's dealings with Iran.
- Nov 5, 2026Court documents unsealed showed the administration held secret talks with Iran on removals during the war, including submitting travel documents and exploring "possible avenues for removal".
Key terms
- asylum seekers
- A person who leaves their country and formally applies for protection in another country under the right of asylum.
- deportation flights
- Flights used to expel a person or group from a state's territory.
- intermediary
- A third party who facilitates communication or transactions between two parties.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in 2025 the administration is committed to carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in history "using all the tools at our disposal".
- Caution
- Judge Ana Reyes noted the US is at war with a country the president has called lawless, an enemy and responsible for killing tens of thousands of protesters.
- Party
- Lawyers for the plaintiffs allege US immigration agencies illegally shared confidential information on Iranian asylum seekers with Iran, risking many lives.
Still unverified
It was unclear when the administration intended to carry out the deportations through the unnamed third country; it is not known whether the Iranian nationals being deported have criminal records.