Court documents show Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians amid the war

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump’s administration held secret talks with Iran on deporting Iranians even as the war there dragged on, court documents obtained by the Associated Press show.

The court documents unsealed Thursday show the Republican administration as recently as mid-October saying it had plans to deport the Iranians through an unnamed third country, although they did not specify when that would be carried out. The judge in the case ordered the government to give the court 24-hour notice of any finalized plans to deport Iranians to Iran or to any other country and five days’ written notice before any such deportation is carried out.

A legal group representing Iranians held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement says at least a dozen Iranian detainees have been notified over the past week that they are being deported to Iran, with some told it could be as soon as this coming Sunday. The legal group, the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, brought the lawsuit in which the new court documents were released.

Earlier court filings and emails show the administration held talks with Iran on deportations that took place last year and shortly before the war. But the revelation that it’s maintaining those contacts even after the war broke out highlights the administration’s resolve in carrying out its hardline immigration crackdown, which has involved ramping up removals, including to places that critics say could endanger the lives of the returnees.

The court documents show that the administration maintained contacts with Iran during the war over the removals, specifically for submitting travel documents and figuring out “possible avenues for removal.”

The State Department says it generally does not comment on pending litigation or private diplomatic discussions. It refers other questions to the Department of Homeland Security, which doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.