U.S. cancels last-minute deportation flight of Iranians amid ongoing war

A deportation flight carrying at least eight Iranian nationals was abruptly canceled Sunday morning in Mesa, Arizona, according to an attorney representing some of the detainees, PBS NewsHour Politics reported.

The flight was scheduled to transport the Iranians to Georgia and then on to Pakistan, but was canceled without explanation, said Ali Rahnama of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which filed emergency motions on behalf of the detainees.

Court documents unsealed recently revealed that the Trump administration planned to deport Iranian nationals to Iran via a third country despite the ongoing war there, according to PBS NewsHour Politics. The lawsuit alleges illegal sharing of confidential information about asylum seekers with Iranian officials.

Between September 2025 and January 2026, three deportation flights sent over 100 Iranian nationals back to Iran. The administration's continued efforts to deport Iranians during the war underscore its hardline immigration approach, which critics argue could endanger deportees' safety.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on details of removal operations, stating that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not disclose information about flight schedules or individual cases. The statement reaffirmed the administration's commitment to carrying out what it called the largest deportation operation in history.