- Internal US immigration documents, obtained by the National Iranian American Council, reveal coordination with Tehran to organise the return of dissidents.
- Between May and November 2025, more than 100 Iranians were deported on three charter flights under the interim leadership of Todd Lyons.
- These forced repatriations took place shortly before military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.
Internal emails reveal management of deportations
Internal email exchanges within the US immigration and border control service, obtained by the National Iranian American Council through a freedom of information request, reveal direct cooperation between federal authorities and Iranian representatives. Between May and November 2025, US agents organised three special charter flights to return more than 100 Iranian nationals to Tehran. The planning of these flights took place under the authority of the agency’s acting director at the time, Todd Lyons, under heavy pressure from senior officials in the US administration. The communications show direct and indirect contacts, notably through Qatar, to arrange the logistics of these repatriations, thereby acceding to requests made by Tehran targeting specific individuals settled in the United States.
Break with traditional asylum policy
These mass repatriation operations targeted several sensitive profiles, including political activists and members of religious or ethnic minorities who risked severe persecution upon arrival on Iranian soil. This coordination marks a major break with the immigration doctrine applied for several decades by Washington towards nationals of this country. Until then, Iranian citizens subject to a deportation order were generally allowed to remain on US territory due to the risks faced under the theocratic regime. The execution of these deportations took place just weeks before the launch of joint military operations by the United States and Israel against Iran, a conflict that caused significant loss of life.
