U.S. to Deport 400 Iranians Amid Crackdown on Illegal Immigration

The United States is set to deport around 400 Iranians, most of whom entered the country illegally, as part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, a senior Iranian official said Tuesday. Hossein Noushabadi, the Iranian foreign ministry’s director general for parliament affairs, confirmed that the first group of 120 deportees, many of whom crossed into the U.S. via Mexico, is expected to arrive in Iran within the next one or two days. Some of the Iranians had volunteered to leave after months in detention centers, while others were included with their consent.

According to the New York Times, the deportation follows months of negotiations between the two countries and involved a U.S.-chartered flight from Louisiana, with a scheduled stopover in Qatar. Noushabadi urged Washington to respect the rights of Iranian migrants, noting that some returnees held residence permits but were still included in the deportation list for reasons cited by U.S. immigration authorities.

The move is part of Trump’s plan to deport a record number of people living in the U.S. without legal status, citing high illegal border crossings during the Biden administration. Despite efforts, the administration has faced challenges in increasing deportation levels and has also sought alternative arrangements to send migrants to countries other than their own. Earlier in February, the U.S. deported 119 individuals, including Iranians, to Panama under a similar agreement.

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