IALDF Joins Congressional Call to Halt Deportation Flights to Iran and Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, DC (November 2, 2026) — The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF) joins the call by Representative Scott Peters and 65 members of Congress in a joint letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin for the cancellation of mass deportation flights to Iran and Afghanistan scheduled for early November. If they proceed, the flights would reportedly mark the first deportation of Iranians to Iran since the U.S.-Iran war began and the first large-scale deportation of Afghans to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over. The flights are expected to transit through Pakistan, and Pakistani visas have been issued to detainees — a contingency that would allow their onward transfer to Iran by land should air travel be suspended due to renewed airstrikes. Iran remains an active conflict zone, and the danger is growing.

Following a briefing with Pentagon officials, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) warned against the administration’s plans to launch intense new strikes on Iran after the midterm elections — the same window in which these flights are scheduled: “Their plan is insane. It will lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law.” Afghans, meanwhile, would be returned to Taliban rule, where women and those who worked alongside U.S. forces or the former Afghan government face persecution amid widespread, State Department-documented human rights abuses.

The congressional letter calls for the immediate cancellation of both mass deportation flights. On the flight to Iran, the 66 Members were unequivocal: “We are similarly shocked to receive reports that this administration may also deport several Iranians – including women, Christian converts, and pro-democracy activists – to Iran, where they face imprisonment, torture, and in some cases, a possible death sentence.” The Members added: “The United States has not ceased its military operations against Iran, and sending people who sought protection from the Islamic Republic of Iran back to a war zone and a repressive regime is unconscionable.”

Third-country deportation flights, such as those to the war-torn Central African Republic, have been plagued by confusion and serious legal violations — including the removal of individuals whose cases were still pending in U.S. courts, transfers to countries and even continents with which deportees have no connection, often without meaningful notice or opportunity to challenge their removal, and reports of untreated illness and tropical disease among deportees. The flight to Iran would go further still: it would send people back to the regime they fled and directly into an active war zone. Sending people there, at a moment when at least 35 ships have reportedly been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz since the start of October, raises urgent legal and humanitarian concerns. “Iranians who came here seeking protection should not be sent back into the hands of the regime they fled — and into what is now an active war zone,” said Yasmine Chubin, Executive Director of IALDF. “We thank Representative Scott Peters for leading the effort along with 65 other members of congress demanding that the administration stop these flights. The administration must heed their call and cancel them now.”

IALDF has received reports that the Iranian Interests Section, the de facto consulate in the U.S., has been contacting detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody without their consent. These reports bear directly on the concerns at the center of IALDF’s ongoing litigation, IALDF v. Rubio. IALDF has also brought FOIA litigation seeking U.S. government records on the deportation flights to Iran and will keep pressing until the administration discloses what it is hiding.

IALDF urges the administration to cancel both flights immediately and calls on every Member of Congress to join their colleagues in speaking out before these flights depart. IALDF will continue to monitor developments and pursue every available avenue to protect those at risk of deportation.

Read the full congressional letter here.

About IALDF

The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund provides legal protection and empowerment for all Iranians in America. Through advocacy, legal support, civil rights, education, and economic inclusion, IALDF works to ensure that every Iranian American can thrive, contribute, and shape a more just, inclusive, and prosperous future. Learn more at ialdf.org.

Media Contact: Emma Famili, Assistant Director of Programs | news@ialdf.org

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