MESA, Arizona — An ICE deportation flight carrying at least nine Iranian immigrants turned back to Arizona early Tuesday morning after Pakistan abruptly refused to accept them, forcing the small charter jet to land back where it had taken off about 30 minutes earlier. The aborted flight was the second failed attempt in three days to deport Iranians to Iran through Pakistan, and it exposed the fragility of a Trump administration plan that depends on a third country willing to take people the United States cannot send home directly.

The flight was part of a wider operation to deport immigrants to Afghanistan and Iran, two countries with which the United States has no diplomatic relations, using Pakistan as the transfer point.

Key Points

• A small Talon charter jet with a 17-person capacity left Mesa, Arizona, just before 5 a.m. on Tuesday and turned around about 30 minutes later after Pakistan declined to accept the passengers.
• At least nine Iranian immigrants were aboard; by Tuesday afternoon they were back in an Arizona immigration detention facility.
• It was the second failed attempt in days: a Sunday flight was cancelled after at least eight Iranians had already boarded in Mesa.
• Homeland Security said the passengers had criminal records and final orders of removal, including convictions for assault, drug trafficking, child abuse, domestic battery and illegal weapon possession.
• Pakistan's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the rebuffed flight, and the reason for its refusal remains unclear.

What Happened

The ICE flight departed Mesa just before 5 a.m. local time on Tuesday, bound for Pakistan for onward transfer to Iran. About 30 minutes after takeoff it turned around and landed back in Mesa, according to a United States official and a relative of a detainee cited by The New York Times. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential information.

The plane then parked at the same ICE staging facility where the detainees had been held, according to Human Rights First, the Washington-based nonprofit group that tracks deportation flights. Turnarounds like this are rare: only a handful of the hundreds of ICE Air flights tracked by the group in the past year have turned around after departing.

Two days earlier, a similar flight was scuttled: on Sunday, at least eight Iranians detained in Arizona boarded a plane, but the flight was cancelled without explanation, according to Yasmin Chubin of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund.

Background

The United States and Iran have had no formal diplomatic relationship since 1979, and the two countries have been at war since February 28, 2026, now in its ninth month. That leaves the administration with no direct route to send deportees to Iran, so it has turned to Pakistan as the point of transfer. Court documents show the administration planned deportations through an unnamed third country.

Sixty-six members of Congress, led by Representative Scott Peters of California, wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on November 2 demanding the immediate cancellation of deportation flights carrying Afghans and Iranians, calling a return to Afghanistan, a State Department Level 4 "Do Not Travel" country, "a death sentence".

US District Judge Ana C. Reyes has ordered the government to give at least 24 hours' notice of any finalised removal plan and five days' written notice before any individual is placed on a transport vehicle or plane bound for removal, warning that returnees face "a serious threat of certain death". The legal defense fund also claims the administration illegally shared confidential asylum information with Iran's government, endangering Christian converts, LGBTQ+ members and political dissidents who protested against Iran in 2022.

Why the Pakistan Refusal Matters for the ICE Deportation Flight Plan

It matters because the entire operation depends on Pakistan saying yes. The United States has no embassy in Tehran and no way to fly deportees directly into Iran, so every flight in this programme needs a third country to receive the passengers and hand them on. When Pakistan declined on Tuesday, there was nowhere for the plane to go. Pakistan's own position has been cautious: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said the arrangement was "under consideration" and that Pakistan hoped for a "mutually agreeable way forward".

Reactions

The Department of Homeland Security defended the operation after the story was published. A spokesperson said 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." "They all had final orders of removal," the spokesperson said.

Judge Reyes has been blunt about the stakes. "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," she said at the hearing last month. Rahnama, the fund's attorney, said some of the detainees had decided that returning to Iran, even "under the threat of missiles", would be better than remaining in ICE detention.

Why It Matters

This is the second time in three days that a deportation flight to Iran has failed, and the two failures happened for different reasons: one was cancelled on the ground in Mesa, the other was turned back in the air because another government said no. Together they show how many moving parts the administration's plan has, and how few of them it controls.

The administration cites final removal orders and criminal histories; the detainees' lawyers say some on the plane are asylum seekers who could face persecution, torture or death if returned.

What Happens Next

The nine or more Iranians from Tuesday's flight are back in detention in Arizona, and the administration has not said if it will try again. At least two deportation operations to Afghanistan and Iran are planned this month, but Pakistan's refusal leaves the transfer route in doubt.

The legal defense fund's lawsuit is still active, and Judge Reyes's notice orders remain in force, so any new attempt must give detainees five days' written notice before they board a plane.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the flight turn back?
It turned around about 30 minutes after leaving Mesa on Tuesday morning because Pakistan abruptly declined to accept the Iranian passengers, who were meant to be transferred to Iran from Pakistan.

How many Iranians were on board?
At least nine, on a small Talon charter jet with a 17-person capacity. By Tuesday afternoon they were back in an Arizona immigration detention facility.

Was this the first failed attempt?
No. A Sunday flight was cancelled after at least eight Iranians had already boarded in Mesa. Read our report on the Sunday flight.

What did Homeland Security say about the passengers?
DHS said they had criminal records and final orders of removal, including convictions for assault, drug trafficking, child abuse, domestic battery and illegal weapon possession.

What happens to the deportation plan now?
It is unclear. At least two operations are planned this month via Pakistan, but the refusal leaves the transfer route in doubt, and Judge Reyes's orders require five days' written notice before detainees are put on a plane.