LOS ANGELES – Recently released emails have shed light on a surprising collaboration between U.S. immigration officials and the Iranian government. Despite ongoing tensions, this correspondence reveals that in 2025, the two nations worked together to deport over 100 Iranians from the United States back to Iran.
The National Iranian American Council obtained hundreds of emails that detail how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) coordinated the logistics for multiple deportation flights during September and December of 2025, and January of 2026.
These emails suggest that Iranian officials had a say in which individuals were sent back. For example, one ICE official indicated that they modified deportation lists following requests from the Iranian Embassy. In an email, they stated, “Per request from the Iran Embassy I added a few cases,” highlighting the influence Iran had in this process.
The communication continued up until the last moments before the flights, with Iranian officials requesting changes to the list even days before takeoff. However, these requests were not always accommodated, creating uncertainty about who was ultimately deported.
This collaboration comes in stark contrast to the U.S. tradition of providing refuge to Iranian dissidents and exiles since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Many human rights activists have criticized the deportations, especially given Iran’s history of persecuting women, religious minorities, and political dissenters.
Emails indicate that the push for deportations stemmed from high-level directives within the Trump administration, even amidst a violent conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran in June 2025. Notably, shortly after Trump warned Americans to evacuate Tehran, an ICE director emphasized the urgency of repatriating Iranian immigrants.
Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, noted that the emails contradict Trump’s claims of supporting ordinary Iranians against a repressive regime. He stated, “It demonstrates that the top priority here was to kick out as many people as possible by whatever means necessary.”
Interestingly, the emails also reveal that ICE arranged meetings between Iranian government officials and detained Iranians in the U.S., raising concerns about the sharing of sensitive information. Eleven detainees claimed they were forced to meet with Iranian officials who were aware of their asylum claims, indicating a potential violation of federal regulations designed to protect the confidentiality of asylum seekers.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied these allegations, stating that ICE did not share asylum applications with the Iranian government. Nevertheless, the situation raises significant questions about the treatment of Iranian immigrants in the U.S. and the implications of U.S.-Iran relations.
