The Trump administration held secret talks with Iran to arrange the deportation of the Iranians even as the two countries remained at war.
US officials have been coordinating with Iranian authorities on travel documents and possible deportation routes, including through a third country.
At an Oct. 15 hearing, Judge Anna Rice warned that deportees could face a "serious threat of certain death," but a Justice Department lawyer insisted the government was enforcing legal deportation orders.
More than 100 Iranians have already been returned in three flights between September 2025 and January 2026.
Source: AP