US deportation flight carrying Iranians turned back after Pakistan refuses entry - report

NOVEMBER 12, 2026 00:43A US deportation flight carrying Iranian detainees was forced to turn around on Tuesday after Pakistan reportedly refused to receive them, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF).The detainees were scheduled to be flown to Pakistan before being transported to Iran. However, Pakistani authorities declined to accept them, according to two sources familiar with the situation who spoke to ABC News. The reason for Pakistan's refusal remains unclear.The aborted flight marked the second failed attempt to deport the group, after an earlier flight scheduled to depart from Mesa, Arizona, was canceled on Sunday.The detainees had already boarded the plane on Sunday when the flight was canceled, and they were then returned to a detention facility, an IALDF attorney told ABC News.A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said on Wednesday that Tuesday's flight "contained criminal illegal aliens who have criminal histories that include arrests and convictions covering assaults, drug trafficking, child abuse, domestic battery, and illegal weapon possession."FILE PHOTO: The US Department of Homeland Security seal is displayed at the FEMA National Response Coordination Center in Washington, DC, January 24, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/NATHAN HOWARD/FILE PHOTO)"They all had final orders of removal," the DHS spokesperson said. "Every illegal alien has their claims heard and receives due process. If a judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period. As promised, the Trump Administration is employing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history. Make no mistake, these criminals who committed heinous crimes will be deported."Federal judge condemns deportation plans amid Iran warThe two failed deportation attempts follow criticism from US District Judge Ana Reyes, who condemned the Trump administration's plans to return Iranian nationals to their home country amid the ongoing war, ABC News reported.During an October 15 hearing, Reyes ordered the government to provide at least five days' advance notice before any individual is "placed on a transport vehicle or plane bound for removal," along with 24 hours' notice of any finalized removal plan, according to a court transcript unsealed last week, cited by ABC News. "If anything happens that violates either of those two orders, I will hold every single person associated with violating it. I will start contempt proceedings," Reyes said during the hearing last month.The judge also criticized the administration's plans to deport the detainees to Iran, comparing the move to sending individuals back to Nazi Germany during World War II."We are talking about sending individuals in our care and custody to a country that we have bombed and we may continue bombing, and is a declared enemy of this country," Reyes said. "It is like saying we have individuals in 1942 in this country that we are going to send back to Nazi Germany. That is the equivalent of what you are telling me."Follow us on Google