Attorney says US deportation flight of Iranians to Iran was canceled
Attorney Ali Rahnama says at least eight Iranians boarded in Arizona, and a legal group argues the plan may have broken a judge's order.
A US flight carrying Iranian nationals toward Iran by way of Pakistan was canceled on Sunday morning, according to attorney Ali Rahnama of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. He said at least eight Iranians had been loaded onto a plane in Mesa, Arizona, bound first for the country of Georgia, then Pakistan. The flight was canceled without explanation, he said.
In court filings, the fund said it had been told 11 Iranians were scheduled to fly. US District Judge Ana Reyes had ordered the government to give the court advance notice of plans to deport Iranians. The fund argued in a Sunday filing that the administration may have violated that order.
The government later filed documents that were sealed. The Department of stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement declines to discuss planned removal operations in advance. It added that the administration is using "all lawful options" for the largest deportation operation in history.
The fund's director, Yasmin Chubin, said individuals "may face persecution, torture, or death." Court records unsealed in the fund's civil lawsuit showed the administration said in mid-October it planned to deport Iranians to Iran via an unnamed third country, even as the war continues.
- At least eightIranians loaded onto the plane in Mesa, per attorney Ali RahnamaThe Independent
- 11 Iranian nationals — 10 men and one womanscheduled for the Sunday flight, per the legal group's court filingsMS NOW
- over 100 Iranian nationalsdeported on three flights between September 2025 and January 2026The Independent
- five days’ written noticerequired by Judge Reyes before any deportation of IraniansThe Independent
Three sides of the story
10 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from conservative outlets
Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.
Liberal8 outlets
Possible violation of a judge's notice order
MS NOW leads with the legal group's accusation that the administration planned to break a judge's order. It reports that the group said it had been told 11 Iranians were scheduled to fly from Mesa to Islamabad. It quotes director Yasmine Chubin warning of a "sheer recklessness" in returning people to a country at war with the US.
It recalls Judge Ana Reyes's Oct. 15 comparison to sending people to Nazi Germany and her contempt threat. It notes DHS and the White House did not immediately respond, and it adds federal judge James Boasberg's contempt inquiry over El Salvador flights. The Independent runs the Associated Press report, which opens with the cancellation of the flight, as told by attorney Ali Rahnama.
It includes DHS's statement about "all lawful options" and Chubin's warning about persecution, torture or death.
Center2 outlets
The flight canceled without explanation, per attorney
The Seattle Times runs the Associated Press report under the headline that the flight was "scuttled at last minute, attorney says." It opens with the cancellation and attributes it to attorney Ali Rahnama, who said at least eight Iranians were aboard in Mesa and that no explanation was given. The report includes a DHS statement declining comment on "prospective removal operations" and saying the administration is using "all lawful options."
It cites court records showing the administration's October plans and Judge Reyes's notice requirements. It also reports the legal group's claim that Iranian officials contacted detainees, and Rahnama's account that at least one person volunteered to go back after nearly two years of detention.
Conservative0 outlets
Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.
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All sources: 16 articles from 10 outlets
Liberal (13)
- ABC News: Planned deportation flight to Iran is aborted for 2nd time, group says
- ABC News: Deportation flight of Iranians from US scuttled at last minute, attorney says
- Al Jazeera English: Iraq blocks Iranian football team’s plane from landing over US sanctions
- Al Jazeera English: Iraq bars Iranian football team’s plane from landing in Basra: Report
- La Opinión: Pakistán rechaza recibir a iraníes deportados por ICE y obliga a un vuelo a volver a Arizona
- MS NOW: Trump administration moves to deport Iranians back to their war-torn country, group says
- PBS NewsHour: Deportation flight of Iranians from U.S. canceled at last minute, attorney says
- The Boston Globe: ICE deportation flight carrying Iranians turns back and lands in Arizona
- The Boston Globe: Deportation flight of Iranians from US scuttled at last minute, attorney says
- The Independent: A deportation flight carrying eight Iranian nationals was abruptly canceled on an Arizona tarmac
- The Independent: Deportation flight of Iranians from US scuttled at last minute, attorney says
Center (3)
- Border Report: Canada sued for sending immigrants back to US
- The Seattle Times: ICE deportation flight carrying Iranians turns back and lands in Arizona
- The Seattle Times: Deportation flight of Iranians from US scuttled at last minute, attorney says
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