Iran: 2nd Flight of Deportees Leaves US12/08 06:10

   

   TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- A second flight carrying Iranians deported from the 
United States has left America, Iranian officials said, as Washington 
reportedly planned to send hundreds of prisoners back to the Islamic Republic.

   The deportations come as tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S. 
after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites during Tehran's 12-day war with 
Israel in June. Activists abroad also have expressed concern about deportees 
returning to Iran, whose theocracy has been cracking down on intellectuals and 
executing prisoners at a rate unseen in decades.

   A report published Monday by the Mizan news agency, the official mouthpiece 
of the Iran's judiciary, quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mojtaba 
Shasti Karimi acknowledging the deportation of 55 Iranians.

   "These individuals announced their willingness for return following 
continuation of anti-immigration and discriminative policy against foreign 
nationals particularly Iranians by the United States," Karimi reportedly said.

   Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also said Sunday there 
were plans for 55 Iranians to return to the Islamic Republic.

   Based on the U.S. claims, "the Iranians were repatriated because of legal 
reasons and breach of immigration regulations," Baghaei said.

   The U.S. government did not immediately acknowledge the deportation flight 
and it wasn't clear whether the plane had arrived yet in Tehran. The U.S. 
Department of Homeland Security and State Department did not immediately 
respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press early Monday.

   The deportations represent a collision of a top priority of President Donald 
Trump -- targeting illegal immigration -- against a decades-long practice by 
the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 
Islamic Revolution.

   In September, Iranian officials acknowledged as many as 400 Iranians could 
be returned under the Trump administration policy. That month, the first such 
flight arrived in Tehran.

   In the lead up to and after the 1979 revolution, a large number of Iranians 
fled to the U.S. In the decades since, the U.S. had been sensitive in allowing 
those fleeing from Iran over religious, sexual or political persecution to seek 
residency. Iran has maintained only those facing criminal charges face 
prosecution, while others can travel freely. However, Tehran has detained 
Westerns and others with ties abroad in the past to be exchanged in prisoner 
swaps.

   Iran has criticized Washington for hosting dissidents and others in the 
past. U.S. federal prosecutors have accused Iran of hiring hitmen to target 
dissidents as well in America.