FOIA Emails Reveal ICE Let Iran Influence Deportation Flight Manifests

Emails obtained via FOIA by the National Iranian American Council and reported by the Associated Press showed ICE coordinated directly with Iranian officials, often through Qatari intermediaries, to arrange three deportation flights returning 100+ Iranians in Sept. and Dec. 2025 and Jan. 2026 — and repeatedly accommodated Iranian requests to add or amend names on passenger manifests up to three days before departure. ICE also arranged meetings between Iranian officials and detainees in U.S. custody; coordination continued through the June 2025 U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. DHS declined to comment on the emails.