The United States is set to deport approximately 400 Iranians, primarily those who entered the country illegally, as part of a broader immigration enforcement initiative, a senior Iranian official revealed on Tuesday.
“Initially, they plan to deport 120 Iranians who entered the U.S. illegally, mostly through Mexico,” said Hossein Nouhabadi, head of the Congressional Bureau, in an interview with the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
This deportation effort marks a somewhat uncommon collaboration between the two nations, with the New York Times being the first to report on the matter.
Calls for Respecting Iranian Rights
Nouhabadi mentioned that the U.S. is “looking to deport 400 Iranians, largely those who have entered unlawfully, as part of the U.S. government’s new anti-immigration stance.”
He noted that the first group of 120 is expected to return to Iran in the next couple of days.
According to the New York Times, the U.S. flights are scheduled to depart from Louisiana on Monday, arriving in Iran through Qatar on Tuesday.
Some of those being deported reportedly agreed to leave after spending several months in detention facilities, while others did not volunteer, the newspaper indicated.
Nouhabadi has urged Washington to honor the immigration rights of Iranians.
“Some returnees had residency permits, yet for reasons given by the U.S. Immigration Agency, they were included on the list. Of course, their consent for return was taken,” he stated.
The White House and the U.S. State Department did not provide immediate responses to inquiries from Reuters.
Trump is aiming for a significant increase in the number of deportations of individuals residing in the U.S. without legal status, which he attributes to a surge in illegal crossings during the administration of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
However, the Trump administration is finding it challenging to elevate deportation numbers, even as it establishes new methods for sending immigrants to countries other than their own.
The U.S. recently deported 119 individuals to Panama from various countries, including Iran, as part of an agreement between the two nations.
