U.S. Prioritized Deporting Iranians During 2025 Attacks on Iran

Internal emails show the Trump administration prioritized deporting Iranian immigrants, even as it urged Iranians to evacuate cities during coordinated bombings with Israel in 2025. The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) obtained hundreds of emails from U.S. immigration officials detailing efforts to increase detentions and deportations of Iranian citizens amid the war.

The documents, released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), indicate the deportation order originated directly from the White House just days before the June 2025 military attacks. Then-acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons and other senior officials prioritized expelling Iranians three days before the U.S. and Israel launched "Operation Midnight Hammer" against Iran.

At least 192 Iranians were detained in June of the previous year following White House directives, marking an unprecedented immigration operation against the community in the U.S. Jamal Abdi, president of NIAC, stated, "While Israel and the United States were bombing Iran and the president was warning Iranians to evacuate major cities, ICE in Tel Aviv was coordinating a mass deportation operation to force vulnerable Iranians in the United States back to the bombed country."

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While Israel and the United States were bombing Iran and the president was warning Iranians to evacuate major cities, ICE in Tel Aviv was coordinating a mass deportation operation to force vulnerable Iranians in the United States back to the bombed country.

An ICE attaché for Enforcement and Removal Operations, stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, actively participated in coordinating the deportation of Iranian citizens back to Iran. The emails also revealed extensive coordination between at least one ICE official and the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy. Abdi added, "The same administration that later promised Iranians that ‘help was on the way’ was working to accelerate deportations of asylum seekers to Iran, even as officials acknowledged that Iranian airspace was closed and people were desperately trying to flee the country."

In the past year, the United States conducted at least two deportation flights to Iran in September and December, with another in January. These actions occurred while the U.S. government was simultaneously urging Iranians to evacuate their cities due to the ongoing conflict.

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The same administration that later promised Iranians that ‘help was on the way’ was working to accelerate deportations of asylum seekers to Iran, even as officials acknowledged that Iranian airspace was closed and people were desperately trying to flee the country.