The Iranians Stuck Between ICE Detention and Deportation to War-Torn Homeland

An Iranian gay couple who fled Iran after arrest by morality police in 2021 now face deportation from U.S. immigration detention despite asylum appeals, separated hundreds of miles apart in ICE facilities. The Trump administration reached a deportation agreement with Iran in December 2025 and has sent at least 175 Iranians back on three flights since September, reversing decades of policy protecting Iranian refugees. At least one deported man—who fled Iran after participating in anti-hijab protests—was restrained, chained to his seat, and had his belongings including evidence of persecution handed to Iranian authorities upon landing in Tehran. ICE arrested at least 432 Iranians in 2025, more than half without criminal records, while asylum approval rates for Iranians dropped from 86 percent in January 2024 to 48 percent in 2026. The couple's deportation flights remain paused due to the ongoing war with Iran, but their legal status remains uncertain as advocates pursue court orders to block removal.