Washington D.C. – The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency failed to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request concerning its arrests and deportations of Iranian nationals – operations that recent reporting suggests have put people in mortal danger. ICE – like any government agency – is obligated by the law to be fully transparent with the public.
The Iranian-American community has been deeply impacted by ICE’s surge of wrongful detentions and rushed deportation flights, which has left many Iranian nationals fearing for their lives. Jamal Abdi, NIAC President, said:
“ICE deported people into the hands of a government known to torture dissidents, and then tried to hide how and why they did it. If ICE won’t tell the truth voluntarily, NIAC will force the truth into the light. The American public deserves to know why their government is dragging asylum seekers onto planes and sending them toward danger. Our community has lived through the Muslim Ban, mass surveillance, and decades of profiling. We will not sit by while ICE operates in the shadows and plays politics with people’s lives.”
NIAC’s FOIA request was first filed on October 10, 2025, after The New York Times first broke the story regarding the deportation of 55 Iranians back to Iran, a first in recent memory. Subsequent reporting has confirmed that some of those detained had credible asylum claims based on their past activism in Iran and conversion to Christianity, and fiercely resisted deportation back to a country where they could face reprisals. According to FOIA protocols, ICE had 20 business days to produce the documents. Having failed to do so in a timely manner as obligated by the law, Red Eagle Law, L.C. supported NIAC in filing litigation mandating ICE produce the documents.
Curtis Morrison, Attorney and Founder of Red Eagle Law, issued the following statement concerning the litigation:
“It is unsettling that ICE isn’t already releasing the information and records that NIAC is fighting for in this lawsuit. But it’s not a surprise. We see the current administration breaking norms across the board on transparency. In my view, they’re keeping records and stats about their activities behind the curtain because they don’t want the American people to know what they’re actually doing.”
NIAC’s FOIA request seeks the information that our community needs to understand the scope and legality behind these operations:
- Number of Iranians in ICE custody;
- Duration of their detentions;
- Location of initial arrests;
- Number of deportations;
- Internal communications about removal flights to Iran and third countries; and
- Messages between ICE leadership, DHS officials, and political actors involved in removal decisions.
ICE arrests of Iranian nationals surged tenfold following U.S.-Israel-Iran hostilities this summer. NIAC has documented information about ICE detentions targeting Iranians through public reporting and our own casework via our ICE Tracker. Reporting from Prism shows that nearly 60% of those arrested had no criminal convictions or pending charges. Earlier this month, a New York Times investigation revealed that ICE deported a planeload of Iranians – including Christian converts, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents – with credible fears of imprisonment, torture, and death if returned to Iran. Some deportees reported being dragged onto the plane. Others said their passports were confiscated upon arrival in Iran and that they were summoned for questioning by Iranian intelligence.
The law is clear. When delay could expose people to persecution or death, when due-process rights are at risk, and when widespread public and media attention raises fundamental questions about government conduct, the agency must release records quickly. ICE has not complied – so NIAC will take them to court.