Court Filings Describe Iran Removal Talks as a Tujunga Couple Waits

Michael Kirkpatrick, a lawyer for the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, used the Oct. 15 hearing to recount a June episode involving an Iranian man in California, according to court documents and The Times. The man, whose name is redacted, was taken into custody by ICE when he appeared at a scheduled appointment at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service office in San Jose. He was brought to the California City Detention Facility. Seven days later, according to the filings, a detention officer escorted him to a private room with two men inside; he had not been told who they were. [1]

The account identified the visitors as Iranian officials working through Pakistan's embassy in Washington. The visitors told him they were well informed about his background, citing his past affiliation with an Iranian opposition group and his time at Camp Ashraf, located just over the Iraqi border, before he moved to the United States in 2015. He recalled one of the men saying they knew everything about him, according to the filings. Kirkpatrick said in an interview reported by The Times that the timing of the officials' appearance and their familiarity with the man's history was 'really indicative' of information sharing between the two governments. [1]

Judge Ana C. Reyes, presiding at the Oct. 15 hearing, sounded surprised by the government's position, according to the transcript. She asked whether the United States would send individuals back to a region facing what she described as at least a serious threat of certain death. Justice Department attorney Dimitar Georgiev-Remmel replied that the government was executing lawful orders of removal, the transcript shows. Reyes stopped short of granting a preliminary injunction. She directed the administration to give her written notice five days ahead of any transfer of a detainee to Iran. [1]

Mohammadjamal Azizi, a Tujunga resident who came to the United States as an Iranian refugee, was alarmed last month when his wife called about an ICE message that instructed her to reach out to Iranian government representatives in Washington regarding her case, The Times reported. The couple had sought asylum as Christian converts, and she was surprised and frightened. After nearly two years in a detention facility, she feared the message meant the U.S. government planned to remove her. Azizi recalled her asking through tears what would happen to her if she were sent back to Iran. [1]

The couple, Azizi and Hannaneh Alikaram, left Iran and requested asylum in late 2024, fearing persecution as Christian converts. They had been arrested twice at home, which they said was because of their faith, according to testimony described in the article. They flew to Brazil and took the overland route through the Darien Gap, entering the United States at the southern border, where they were taken into custody. Azizi was freed about a year ago after his asylum application was approved. Alikaram's nearly identical application was rejected; the judge in her case cited consistencies in her testimony, The Times reported. [1]

DHS had not immediately answered a request for comment about their case, The Times reported. Azizi, known by his Christian name Liam, followed the instruction and called Iranian officials on his wife's behalf last month. He was told only that she did not appear on a current roster of Iranian nationals slated for deportation. He said that was a relief. This spring, the couple sought a writ of habeas corpus to challenge Alikaram's continued detention; that petition remains pending, along with a motion to expedite review because of a heart condition she has. She remains at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. [1]

The National Iranian American Council, a separate advocacy group, obtained records showing that about 600 Iranians were placed in immigration detention last year, The Times reported. In a filing in the ongoing litigation, ICE said the United States arranged three flights between September 2025 and January 2026 that carried more than 100 Iranian nationals back to Iran. Over the weekend, ICE tried to remove at least eight Iranians, but a flight set to leave Arizona, with a stop in Pakistan, was called off suddenly; the reason was not disclosed. Immigration attorneys involved said the group has been told they could be placed on a flight in coming days. DHS would not discuss the canceled flight or confirm future removals. [1]

The United States has rarely sent people back to Iran and has often taken in Iranian dissidents, exiles and others who left after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to The Times. The administration has departed from that long pattern as part of a tougher immigration approach. That shift has occurred even though Trump has urged Iranians to rise against their government. During January protests, he told them help was on its way, and at the start of the war he said that when the United States was finished, they should take over their government. [1]

The record matters because it includes the administration's acknowledgment of a removal plan, a judge's notice requirement and accounts from detainees and advocates. In the Los Angeles area, the confirmation has caused fear among refugees and immigrant advocates, according to The Times. The lawsuit accuses U.S. immigration officials of sharing private information, while DHS describes lawful coordination on travel documents and consular notification. The judge's order creates a step before any detainee is sent to Iran. Those elements frame the dispute as detainees wait for word on their cases. [1]

The case also places a wartime removal policy under court supervision at a moment when the administration says it is carrying out lawful orders and pursuing the largest deportation operation in history. The source does not provide a final ruling on the lawsuit or on the pending habeas petition. It does establish that the administration has acknowledged a deportation plan, that at least one removal flight was canceled, and that detainees remain unsure of their future. [1]

Several points remain unresolved. The reason for the canceled Arizona flight is unknown, and DHS declined to discuss it or confirm future removals. Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Alikaram's case, according to The Times. Azizi said he did not know what would happen and that the couple was waiting. The article does not state whether the government has filed the five-day written notice required by Judge Reyes before any detainee is sent to Iran. [1]

Questions to watch include whether the group of at least eight Iranians is placed on another flight after attorneys said they could be scheduled in coming days, and whether DHS provides further detail on its coordination with Iran. Also pending are the lawsuit and the habeas petition challenging Alikaram's detention, including the motion for expedited review because of her heart condition. The source does not state how the court will handle those requests. What is documented is the administration's acknowledged removal plan, the judge's notice order, the canceled flight and the continuing uncertainty for detainees. [1]

Sources

LA Times: Los Angeles

Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.