IALDF continues to monitor and document cases of transnational repression affecting the Iranian American community and Iranian asylum-seekers in the United States. We provide legal assistance to individuals at risk of deportation to Iran and work to ensure that U.S. immigration enforcement practices comply with U.S. laws and international human rights standards.
Central to these efforts, IALDF has filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to compel government transparency around the deportation flights and the treatment of Iranian detainees. These FOIA actions seek to uncover the full scope of coordination between ICE and Iranian consular officials, the decision-making process behind the chartered removal flights, and what, if any, risk assessments were conducted before asylum-seekers were returned to Iran. To date, the government has failed to produce adequate responses, and IALDF is pursuing legal remedies to enforce compliance. The information sought through these complaints is critical not only to holding agencies accountable but also to understanding the fate of the individuals who were deported and to preventing future violations.
IALDF calls on Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deportation flights, to ensure that no Iranian consular or intelligence officials are granted access to detained asylum-seekers, and to immediately halt any removals to Iran for individuals with pending or viable protection claims.
