Iran Deportation Flight Returns to Arizona After Pakistan Refuses Transfer

The ICE-chartered plane left Mesa shortly before 5 a.m. on November 10 and returned about 30 minutes later. By that afternoon, the detainees had been taken back to the Arizona immigration facility where they had been held. The flight was the second failed attempt to deport the group: an earlier flight was canceled on Sunday before departure.

The detainees were meant to travel through Pakistan before being sent to Iran. Pakistan’s refusal to accept the plane was relayed by people familiar with the situation; the reason for the decision was not stated. The Trump administration has also planned deportations to Afghanistan through Pakistan, an arrangement Pakistan’s foreign ministry previously said was under consideration.

The Department of Homeland Security said the people on the flight had criminal records and final removal orders. The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which represents detainees in a lawsuit, says the government improperly shared confidential asylum information with Iran. The group says some people facing removal include Christian converts, LGBTQ+ people and political dissidents. An attorney said at least some people on Tuesday’s flight belonged to vulnerable groups.

A federal judge has ordered the government to give advance notice of planned removals and warned that violations could lead to contempt proceedings. The judge also criticized plans to return people to Iran during the war. ICE officials have testified that their contacts with Iranian diplomats concerned travel arrangements and documents, not asylum claims. The legal challenge remains ongoing.

Iran Deportation Attempt Raises Due-Process and Safety Concerns

The second failed effort to deport the Iranian detainees in days underscores the risks of sending people back to a country where some may face persecution. The ICE-chartered plane left Mesa early November 10, turned around about half an hour later and returned the detainees to the Arizona facility. Pakistan’s refusal halted a plan to use it as a bridge to Iran.

The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund says some people facing removal include Christian converts, LGBTQ+ people and political dissidents. It is also suing over allegations that the government shared confidential asylum information with Iran. An attorney said some passengers on Tuesday’s flight belonged to vulnerable groups, though he did not know whether their information had been compromised.

A federal judge ordered advance notice before anyone is put on a removal vehicle or plane and warned of contempt proceedings if those orders are violated. The judge sharply criticized sending people to Iran during the war. The Department of Homeland Security says the detainees have criminal histories and final removal orders, but that does not erase the stakes of returning asylum seekers to a country where they say they fear persecution. The lawsuit continues, and the judge’s notice requirements remain central to the dispute.

Administration Pursues Removal Orders as Iran Flight Turns Back

The Trump administration says it is using lawful options to carry out removals, and the Department of Homeland Security said the people aboard the November 10 flight had criminal histories and final orders of removal. The charter left Mesa, Arizona, shortly before 5 a.m., then returned about 30 minutes later after Pakistan declined to accept the group for transfer to Iran.

The failed flight followed a separate attempt on Sunday that was canceled before takeoff. Pakistan’s role was intended as a transit arrangement; its foreign ministry had previously said a plan for transfers to Afghanistan was under consideration. The reason Pakistan refused the Iranians was not given.

A federal judge has ordered advance notice of planned removals and threatened contempt proceedings over violations. The judge also condemned the administration’s plans to return people to Iran during the war. The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund is challenging the government, alleging it shared confidential asylum information with Iran; ICE officials have testified their communications concerned travel and documents, not asylum claims.

The dispute now pits court-ordered notice and claims of danger against the administration’s position that people with final removal orders should be deported. The flight’s return leaves the detainees in Arizona while the legal challenge continues.