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The administration ordered ICE to deport over 100 Iranian nationals back to their home country despite ongoing military conflict.

The administration announced a series of deportation flights to Iran in late 2025 and early 2026, despite the fact that the U.S. and Israel were engaged in a 12-day war with Iran during that period. Internal emails from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveal that the White House prioritized these deportations as a high priority, even as Iranian airspace was closed and the country faced internal chaos. The emails show that ICE officials worked closely with Iranian authorities to coordinate the flights, even though the two nations lack official diplomatic relations. This cooperation included requests from the Iranian Embassy to add specific individuals to the deportation lists. However, critics noted the irony of deporting Iranians to a repressive regime while the U.S. was simultaneously bombing the country. The administration also managed the logistics of the flights, which were brokered through Qatar. During the process, ICE officials acknowledged a mistake where one Iranian national was boarded on a flight despite not being on the final manifest. The Department of Homeland Security disputed allegations that ICE shared confidential asylum records with the Iranian government.

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