Deportation flight of Iranians from U.S. canceled at last minute, attorney says
Summary
A deportation flight carrying at least eight Iranian detainees was canceled Sunday after they boarded in Mesa, Arizona, according to attorney Ali Rahnama. The Trump administration had told a court it planned to deport Iranians via a third country, while a lawsuit alleges the government shared confidential asylum information with Iranian officials.Key Facts
- At least eight Iranian detainees boarded the plane in Mesa, Arizona, on Sunday morning.
- The planned route was to Georgia, then Pakistan, with onward travel to Iran; Rahnama said the flight was canceled without explanation.
- Attorneys said roughly a dozen detained Iranians had recently been told they were scheduled for a deportation flight to Pakistan and then Iran.
- Court records unsealed days earlier showed the administration had described deportation plans as recently as mid-October.
- The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund's lawsuit alleges the U.S. government illegally shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with Iranian officials.
- A federal judge ordered the government to give 24 hours' notice of finalized deportation plans and five days' written notice before carrying them out.
- Rahnama said a senior Iranian representative visited the detainees who boarded and told them Iran would transport them from Pakistan.
- The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on specific or prospective removal operations.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
