Report: US set to deport dozens of Iranians, including LGBTQ couple, despite human rights concerns

The US is expected to deport dozens of Iranians back to Iran as soon as Sunday, CNN reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the news outlet, the flight would mark the first known US deportation to Iran since widespread anti-government protests erupted in recent weeks, and US President Donald Trump threatened the Islamic Regime over its violent crackdown.

CNN notes there are growing concerns over the fate of those on board, including a same-sex couple who have reportedly been told they will be deported despite facing what their lawyer describes as an “extremely high chance” of execution for being gay if they return to Iran.

“They’re facing death sentences by hanging,” Bekah Wolf, a lawyer with the American Immigration Council, tells CNN, saying the pair had previously been arrested by Iran’s morality police and prosecuted for conduct punishable by death.

CNN says it has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the White House for comment, though they have yet to respond.