Trump administration held secret deportation talks with Iran during war, court records show

President Donald Trump's administration maintained secret contacts with Iranian officials over the deportation of Iranian nationals even as the war between the two countries continued, according to court documents unsealed on Thursday.

The documents revealed that the Republican administration had discussed arrangements for returning Iranians to their home country, including the exchange of travel documents and identification of possible routes for deportation.

As recently as mid-October, US government lawyers told a federal court that the administration was considering deporting Iranian nationals through an unnamed third country. However, the documents did not establish when those removals would take place.

The disclosures emerged from an ongoing lawsuit accusing US immigration authorities of sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with Tehran, potentially exposing them to persecution or other serious threats upon their return.

The case has raised questions about the administration's immigration enforcement practices and its willingness to coordinate deportations with a government it has simultaneously described as an adversary.

𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀

During an October 15 hearing, US District Judge Ana Reyes expressed serious concerns about the potential consequences of sending Iranian nationals back to their country amid the continuing conflict.

Referring to statements made by Trump about Iran, Reyes questioned how the administration could justify deportations to a country facing war and severe political instability.

“We are at war with a country where the President of the United States has said, as recently as two or three days ago, if not yesterday, that it is essentially lawless... A country that is an enemy of the United States, according to the current president. A country that, according to our president, murdered tens of thousands of protestors,” Reyes said, according to the hearing transcript.

The judge warned that returning individuals to the region could expose them to life-threatening dangers.

“And what you're telling me is that the United States of America is going to send individuals back to that region, facing what you and I and everyone who would ever look at this would know would be, at a minimum, a serious threat of certain death,” she said.

Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel acknowledged the government's position and defended the proposed deportations.

“Yes, your honour,” the attorney responded. “The government is executing lawful orders of removal.”

𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲

Following the hearing, the judge directed the administration to provide the court with at least 24 hours' notice of any finalised plans to deport Iranian nationals to Iran or another country.

The government was also ordered to submit written notice five days before carrying out any such deportation.

The directions were intended to ensure judicial oversight of the proposed removals while the legal challenge remained pending.

The documents did not clarify whether the administration had subsequently finalised any deportation arrangements or whether additional removals had taken place.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the disclosures.

𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀

At the centre of the dispute is a lawsuit alleging that US immigration agencies disclosed sensitive information about Iranian asylum seekers to Iranian government representatives.

The plaintiffs contend that such disclosures violated federal immigration regulations protecting the confidentiality of asylum applications.

They argue that sharing information with Iranian authorities could expose applicants and their families to persecution, particularly where individuals had sought protection because of their political activities, religious beliefs or opposition to the Iranian government.

The lawsuit also describes alleged efforts by American and Iranian officials to identify Iranians held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and encourage or pressure them to return.

Federal authorities are generally permitted to communicate with foreign governments to obtain travel documents and coordinate deportations. However, US regulations restrict the disclosure of information that could reveal an individual's asylum application.

The Department of Homeland Security previously denied allegations that immigration officials had shared asylum application records with Iran.

𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆

The newly disclosed documents follow earlier revelations about cooperation between American immigration officials and Iranian authorities.

Emails released in August showed that US officials had coordinated arrangements for more than 100 Iranian nationals to be returned on three deportation flights between September 2025 and January 2026.

The correspondence indicated that Iranian officials had participated in discussions about passenger lists and travel arrangements.

Earlier court filings also contained accounts from Iranian detainees who alleged that they had been required to meet Iranian government representatives while in US immigration custody.

Some detainees claimed that Iranian officials appeared to possess sensitive information about their asylum applications.

The allegations have drawn attention because Washington and Tehran do not maintain normal diplomatic relations and have been engaged in military hostilities.

The latest disclosures suggest that practical coordination over deportations continued despite the conflict, although the full extent of the contacts and the number of people potentially affected remain unclear.

The legal proceedings will determine whether the administration's handling of asylum information and proposed removals complied with US law.