The key facts

  • A rights organization says the removal of 11 Iranians via Pakistan violated a federal court order issued on October 15
  • According to the motion, an Iranian official met with the detainees in Arizona and showed them the flight manifest
  • It remains unconfirmed whether the charter departed on schedule

Emergency motion over a nighttime removal

The US government is accused of preparing a nighttime deportation of 11 Iranian citizens — ten men and one woman — to Iran via Pakistan. This is stated in an emergency motion filed on Sunday in federal court by the organization Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, which considers the operation a violation of a mandatory court order. Details reported by Anadolu Agency.

The route and preparation of the operation

According to the motion, the organization learned on the evening of Saturday, November 7, 2026, that ICE planned to remove the detainees on a flight at approximately 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 8, from Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport to Islamabad, with a refueling stop in Georgia and subsequent handover to Iran on Tuesday, November 10. Late on Saturday evening, the detainees were transported from the Florence Service Processing Center and the Eloy Detention Center to Mesa, Arizona. The detainees were reportedly issued 15-day Pakistani transit visas. However, it remains unconfirmed whether the charter departed on schedule.

The involvement of an Iranian official and the dispute over notice

The motion also reveals that on Friday, at the detention facility in Arizona, an Iranian government official met with seven of the detained men, told them the flight route, and showed them an official manifest listing all 11 deportees. In the legal group's view, the operation violated the order of US District Judge Ana C. Reyes dated October 15, which requires providing 'five business days of written advance notice' before removing any Iranian citizen to Iran or a third transit country. The organization notes that the administration filed the notice ex parte on Tuesday, meaning the Sunday flight would have taken place after only three business days. The government's position on these claims is not included in the publication.