A second flight carrying Iranians deported from the United States has left the country, signaling a decisive shift in immigration enforcement policy under the current administration. Washington is reportedly preparing to send hundreds more illegal immigrants and criminal violators back to the Islamic Republic.
The deportations mark a sharp change from previous lax U.S. approaches toward Iranian exiles and those who violated immigration rules. Iranian officials previously claimed that up to 400 Iranians could be returned under the new enforcement policies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mojtaba Shasti Karimi tried to spin the move as a consequence of U.S. "discriminative policy." Karimi said the deportees “announced their willingness for return following continuation of anti-immigration and discriminative policy against foreign nationals particularly Iranians by the United States.”
However, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei countered this deflection. He said the Iranians were repatriated due to "legal reasons and breach of immigration regulations." This confirms the U.S. is prioritizing law enforcement over political concerns.
The deportations come as tensions remain high with Iran. The theocracy has a history of targeting dissidents and holding Westerners for prisoner swaps, highlighting the national security risk of maintaining a lax immigration system.
U.S. federal prosecutors have previously accused Iran of hiring hitmen to target dissidents residing in America. This makes the enforcement of immigration regulations even more critical for national security.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and State Department have not officially acknowledged the deportation flight, though Iranian judiciary mouthpiece Mizan news agency confirmed the deportation of 55 Iranians.