U.S. to deport 120 Iranians who entered country illegally as immigration crackdown continues

About 120 Iranian nationals who entered the U.S. illegally will be flown back to Tehran this week, state media reported Tuesday.

Hossein Noushabadi, director-general for parliamentary and consular affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said U.S. authorities have identified 400 Iranian nationals for deportation, most of whom entered the country illegally through Mexico.

The identities of the Iranian nationals have not been made public. 

Those 120 Iranians will be deported this week in the first phase. According to The New York Times, a U.S.-chartered plane carrying some deportees took off Monday from a Louisiana airport and is expected to arrive in Iran via Qatar on Tuesday. Mr. Noushabadi confirmed that all 120 people are expected to arrive in Tehran over the next two days.

The deportations mark a rare instance of collaboration between Tehran and Washington, following months of reported negotiations. Mr. Noushabadi warned U.S. officials to respect the international rights of the deportees during the process and stated that Iran would welcome them back without obstacle. 

“We have urged the American government to respect the rights of Iranian migrants and their citizenship rights under international law. They must not be denied consular services, fair judicial process or the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Tasim News Agency quoted Mr. Noushabadi as saying. 

He added that some of the people preparing for deportation from the U.S. possessed valid residency permits but were being deported anyway.

Iranian authorities have not commented on possible reasons why the 400 Iranians sought residence in the U.S. For years, Iranian nationals have fled the Islamic republic for the U.S. due to Tehran’s harsh social policies that persecute political opponents, women and religious minorities. 

Mr. Noushabadi said all the deportees left Iran legally. 

The deportations are also part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. President Trump has overseen sweeping immigration raids throughout the country to deport record numbers of people. The White House’s efforts have been supported in part through agreements with other countries to accept illegal immigrants apprehended by U.S. authorities.

“The Trump Administration is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history, using all the tools at our disposal.” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Tuesday.