Iranian Detainees’ Lawyers Warn of Planned Deportation Flight
Lawyers for 11 Iranian nationals in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody warned a federal court in Washington, D.C., on November 8 that the detainees could be deported to Iran on a flight scheduled to leave Arizona before dawn. The group includes 10 men and one woman, according to a filing by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which called the plan an apparent breach of a judge’s ruling in a legal case involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio and fellow officials.
The filing said the detainees were expected to travel from Mesa, Arizona, to Islamabad, Pakistan, stopping to refuel in Georgia. Iranian officials were then expected to take them to Iran on Tuesday. The filing said the detainees had received temporary Pakistani visas valid for 15 days.
The plan came to the lawyers’ attention from the American wife of a detainee, the filing said. Her husband reportedly learned about the schedule during a meeting with an Iranian government official at an Arizona detention facility on Friday. The detainee, who has been in ICE custody since October 2025, was moved to Arizona earlier in November after stays in Georgia and Louisiana.
The legal group said a federal order requires five business days’ notice before deportations to Iran. Its executive director, Yasmine Chubin, said the group had brought information from multiple sources to the court and expected the government to follow its legal obligations. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes had warned officials that failure to comply could lead to contempt proceedings. It was unclear whether the flight departed or whether the court intervened.
Court Must Stop Deportation of Iranians to a Country Under Attack
The proposed removal of 11 Iranian nationals from ICE custody puts lives at risk while raising a direct challenge to court oversight. On November 8, the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund told a federal court that the group—10 men and one woman—was expected to fly from Arizona to Pakistan, then be transferred to Iran.
The filing said a judge’s order requires five business days’ notice before deportations to Iran. Lawyers said they learned of a planned early-morning flight and described it as an apparent violation of that order. The detainees reportedly had temporary visas for Pakistan, where they were due to arrive before the planned transfer to Iran on Tuesday.
The stakes are especially grave because the United States is at war with Iran and conducting military strikes there, the group’s executive director, Yasmine Chubin, said. She said the detainees, including asylum seekers, could face persecution and danger. Judge Ana Reyes had warned that officials who disobeyed her orders could face contempt proceedings.
The administration’s reported plan tests whether basic judicial safeguards will be honored when people’s safety is at stake. The filing brought the information urgently to the court, but it was unclear if the aircraft left and if the judge stepped in.
Iran Deportation Dispute Puts Immigration Enforcement Against Court Oversight
The dispute over a planned deportation flight puts immigration enforcement in conflict with a federal court order. On November 8, the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund told a Washington, D.C., court that 11 Iranian nationals in ICE custody were scheduled to fly from Arizona to Pakistan, with a transfer to Iran expected on Tuesday.
The filing said the judge’s order requires five business days’ advance notice before deportations to Iran. The group called the planned flight an apparent violation. The detainees—10 men and one woman—had reportedly received temporary Pakistani visas. The filing said one detainee’s wife learned of the plans after her husband was shown a flight list at an Arizona detention facility.
The case now turns on compliance with the court’s order and the judge’s oversight. Judge Ana Reyes had warned that government officials who failed to follow her orders could face contempt proceedings. The legal group’s executive director said it had taken its information to the court and expected the government to meet its legal obligations.
The group also raised the danger of returning people to Iran while the United States is at war with the country and conducting military strikes. That concern does not resolve the immediate question of whether the flight proceeded: it was unclear whether the plane departed or whether the court intervened.
