Iran announced that over 50 of its citizens are set to return from the United States, amid President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration policies.
“In the coming days, approximately 50 to 55 Iranian nationals will come back,” stated Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, during his weekly press conference.
“This marks the second group being repatriated to Iran in recent months.”
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According to CNN, the group is expected to arrive in Iran later on Sunday, following a stop in Kuwait.
Baqaei criticized the US for what he termed “racist actions against foreign nationals, particularly those from our region, especially Iranians.”
“For Iranians, it is clear that these pressures are politically driven, and these anti-immigration policies violate human rights laws,” he continued.
Baqaei mentioned that the Iranians, facing significant pressure from US authorities, contacted the Iranian Interests Section in Washington and “expressed their desire to return home.”
“Our Interests Section has assisted in this process, facilitating the return of about 50 to 55 Iranian nationals in the coming days,” he confirmed.
Although Iran and the United States lack formal diplomatic relations, Tehran operates an office within the Pakistani embassy in Washington to handle consular matters.
This week, US authorities paused green card and citizenship processes for nationals from 19 countries, including Iran, which were already under travel restrictions announced in June.
In September, Iran reported that 120 of its citizens were deported from the US under Trump’s immigration policies, according to Hossein Noushabadi, a foreign ministry consular affairs official, speaking to the Tasnim news agency.
He further noted, “The US immigration service has planned to deport around 400 Iranians currently in the United States, most of whom entered illegally.”
