At least eight Iranian nationals were put on a deportation plane in Mesa, Arizona, on Sunday, November 8, before the flight was abruptly canceled and they were returned to detention. The planned route ran through Georgia and Pakistan, with Iranian officials expected to take them onward to Iran, according to their lawyer.
The cancellation came amid a legal fight over the government’s plans to send Iranian detainees back while the United States is at war with Iran. The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund’s lawsuit alleges that U.S. officials improperly shared confidential information about asylum seekers with Iranian authorities. The administration has said it was planning removals, but its court filings did not specify when they would happen.
U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes ordered the government to give the court 24 hours’ notice of any finalized deportation plan and five days’ written notice before a removal. On Sunday, the fund told the court it had learned of the flight and argued the administration may have violated that directive. The group said 11 people—10 men and one woman—were scheduled for removal; an attorney said at least eight boarded.
The government filed a response later Sunday, but it was sealed and unavailable to the public. Homeland Security declined to confirm the flight or explain its cancellation, saying ICE does not comment on prospective operations. The judge has not ruled on the lawsuit’s claims, and the cancellation does not resolve whether the planned removals comply with her order.
The stakes extend beyond this flight: more than 100 Iranians were deported on three flights between September 2025 and January 2026, before the current war began. The advocacy group warns that people returned to Iran could face persecution, torture or death. Their lawyer said at least one person on Sunday’s canceled flight had volunteered to return after nearly two years in detention.