A second group of Iranian nationals detained in the United States was deported early Sunday (local time), departing from Mesa Airport in Arizona en route to Kuwait before continuing on to Tehran.
Around 50 individuals, released from US prisons, were transferred late Saturday night from Florence Prison in Arizona to Mesa Airport for the charter flight.
The deportations come amid the Trump administration’s tightened immigration policies, intensified after a recent incident in which an Afghan national residing in the US shot two members of the National Guard, killing one.
Abolfazl Mehrabadi, head of Iran’s Interests Section in Washington, told IRNA that many of those deported had entered the US illegally through neighboring countries such as Mexico and Colombia without visas, while others had lived in America for years with permanent residency or US spouses, but were detained for criminal offenses.
Mehrabadi assured the deportees that their return would not pose legal problems in Iran. He stressed that seeking asylum abroad is not considered a crime under Iranian civil law, and those who left the country illegally would only face monetary fines.
He noted that direct flights between the US and Iran are not possible, requiring third countries to facilitate deportations. This process imposes restrictions on how many individuals can be repatriated at once.
This latest operation marks the second deportation flight of Iranians from the US in 2025. The first charter, originally scheduled to repatriate around 120 people via Qatar, ultimately carried only 53 due to flight restrictions in September.
Between 1.5 and 2 million Iranians currently reside in America, and they are widely regarded as one of the most successful immigrant groups of the past four to five decades, according to Mehrabadi.
