By — Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press By — Rebecca Santana, Associated Press Rebecca Santana, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-administration-held-talks-with-iran-on-deporting-iranians-during-the-war-court-documents-show Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war, court documents show World Nov 5, 2026 2:04 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration held secret talks with Iran on deporting Iranians even as the war there dragged on, court documents show. The court documents unsealed Thursday show the Republican administration as recently as mid-October said it had plans to deport the Iranians through an unnamed third country, although it was unclear when it intended to do so. The judge in the case ordered the government to give the court 24-hour notice of any finalized plans to deport Iranians to Iran or to any other country and five days' written notice before any such deportation is carried out. READ MORE: ICE and Iran worked together to deport Iranians from U.S., newly released emails show The documents…
Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war, court documents show
In short
Unsealed court documents indicate the federal government explored removal routes through third-party countries and submitted travel documents directly to Iranian officials. The revelations are tied to legal claims that U.S. immigration agencies shared sensitive asylum data to pressure detainees into repatriation. The Department of Homeland Security denied providing asylum files, defending the actions as lawful executions of final removal orders. In response, a federal judge ordered strict advance notice requirements before any additional deportations can occur.
Key points
- Federal officials engaged in direct coordination with Iran to secure travel paperwork des…: Federal officials engaged in direct coordination with Iran to secure travel paperwork despite active warfare between the two countries.
- The Department of Homeland Security continues to deny sharing confidential asylum seeker…: The Department of Homeland Security continues to deny sharing confidential asylum seeker records with the Iranian government.
- The court placed mandatory advance notice restrictions on future deportations due to seve…: The court placed mandatory advance notice restrictions on future deportations due to severe safety risks facing returnees.