Christian Converts Face US Deportation

Deported to Danger: The Secret US Flights Returning Christians to Iran

Security personnel entered a confinement facility in Texas on a specific date in the middle of October 2025. They approached Majid, who sat inside the small concrete room where he had waited for twelve months. The guards issued a sudden order to gather his possessions for a transfer, ignoring the fact that a judge had legally authorised his safety five months earlier. Officers bound his arms, torso, and legs with heavy metal chains before shoving him into a transport van. The vehicle sped through the darkness across state lines until it reached a military airstrip in Louisiana. This operation marked the violent beginning of a terrifying journey for a man who had escaped Iran during the tenth month of 2024. He originally fled to avoid torture and imprisonment for his involvement in the Mahsa Amini protests and his decision to follow Jesus.

A Forced Departure to Central America

Authorities compelled Majid to board a large aircraft alongside 150 other individuals facing removal. The flight departed for the capital of Nicaragua, a common transit point. Majid scanned the cabin and realised he was the only passenger who did not originate from a Latin American nation. The plane touched down in the tropical heat of Managua hours later. Agents immediately placed him in handcuffs again on the tarmac. They rejected his desperate pleas for protection and placed him on a complex travel route that took him through Caracas and Istanbul. Majid understood this itinerary as a disguised method of forced repatriation to the country he feared most. He eventually managed to evade his handlers during the chaotic transfer in Turkey, disappearing into the city’s underground network. He now lives in constant terror that Turkish police or Iranian spies will discover his location.

Inconsistencies in Protection Protocols

Majid represents a growing cohort of Iranian believers who have seen Washington reject their safety applications over the last year. He spoke to British media from his concealment in Istanbul, joining several others who shared their stories anonymously to protect their families. Their accounts reveal deep flaws in how American officials currently evaluate the lethal dangers awaiting returnees. These expulsions occur even as the American President frequently complains about the suffering of religious minorities abroad. The administration often threatens military force against nations like Nigeria if they fail to protect their Christian populations, yet it simultaneously sends believers back to one of the most hostile environments on Earth. This contradiction suggests a significant disconnect between public foreign policy rhetoric and the practical application of immigration enforcement on the ground.

Bureaucratic Explanations from Washington

A government spokesperson explained to the press that judges fully review every claim before the state removes any individual. This representative stated that recent expulsions to Tehran involved only people who possessed final legal orders to leave or those who had asked to depart voluntarily. The administration maintains that privacy laws stop them from revealing whether specific deportees had applied for asylum or why courts denied their cases. However, legal experts argue that the expedited nature of these hearings often bypasses the necessary due process required for complex religious persecution files. Critics suggest that the pressure to clear backlogs has resulted in a system that prioritises speed over accuracy, leading to life-threatening errors for vulnerable individuals who have legitimate fears of torture or execution upon their return.

The Unusual Qatar Charter Flight

The United States government dramatically shifted its approach towards Iranian migrants in late 2025 as part of a wider effort to reduce illegal entry. Officials organised a special aircraft routed through Doha in late September. This operation marked the first direct deportation effort of its kind in decades, given the complete lack of diplomatic relations between Washington and Tehran. The flight represented a strange partnership between two long-standing adversaries. Political analysts suggest this deal allows the Iranian regime to project an image of strength by reclaiming its citizens. Meanwhile, the administration in Washington fulfils its campaign promise to increase deportation numbers regardless of the destination's human rights record. This rare instance of cooperation highlights how political expediency often overrides humanitarian concerns in the complex world of international diplomacy.

Interrogation Upon Arrival in Tehran

Security teams placed dozens of Iranian nationals on this specific September aircraft, reportedly keeping them in chains for the duration of the trip. A returnee named Sina later recalled the terrifying experience in a video uploaded to a Persian-language YouTube channel. He detailed how armed guards watched over passengers during the flight leg from Qatar to Tehran. Sina claimed that security forces questioned the group upon arrival regarding their American residency and their spiritual practices. Intelligence officers did not arrest everyone immediately but placed them under heavy surveillance. This psychological tactic forces returnees to live in a state of suspended animation. They wait for the inevitable knock on the door, knowing that the state is watching their movements, monitoring their communications, and building legal cases against them.

Targeting the Spouses Left Behind

The danger escalated quickly for the spouse of a believer named Ali, who still resides in the United States. She travelled as a passenger on the September removal flight after courts rejected her plea for safety. Iranian intelligence agents have since called her in for questioning multiple times. Ali uses a false name to protect his identity but speaks with palpable fear for his partner. He states that the American government sent his wife back despite knowing she practices Christianity. He now lives with the knowledge that Iranian security services are actively pursuing her. Furthermore, they are building a case against him should he ever return. His situation highlights the catastrophic consequences of the current deportation machinery, which separates families and places innocent individuals directly in the path of a regime that views them as enemies.

Lethal Errors in Paperwork

Lawyers representing these deportees believe a catastrophic bureaucratic mistake has placed their clients in immediate mortal danger. Herischi, the lawyer handling the case for Ali and his wife, reports a disturbing failure. Several clients told him that authorities did not remove confidential data from their files before handing them over to Iranian officials. These documents reportedly contained explicit declarations regarding faith changes, political activism, and detailed reasons for seeking protection. If regime agents accessed these unredacted files upon the deportees' arrival, they would possess written confessions of apostasy. Under Iranian law, leaving Islam carries the death penalty. This alleged negligence effectively hands the prosecution the evidence they need to execute these individuals, turning an administrative error into a potential death sentence.

The Underground Church Movement

Former Muslims who have embraced Christianity now make up a significant portion of the estimated 800,000 Christians living in Iran. Dew-Jones, representing the advocacy organisation Article 18, monitors rights violations in the region. He explains that the state severely restricts state-sanctioned places of worship, forcing the new wave of believers to gather in secret. These underground house churches have begun to appear across the country despite the immense risks involved. The regime views this uncontrolled growth of Christianity as a direct ideological threat to the Islamic Republic. Security forces frequently raid these private homes, confiscating Bibles and arresting entire congregations on charges of acting against national security. The resilience of these believers stands in stark contrast to the severity of the persecution they face daily.

Political Framing of Religious Belief

The Iranian legal system treats leaving the Muslim faith as a capital crime, subjecting converts to jail, questioning, and detention. Data from human rights monitors indicates that arrests of Christians jumped sixfold between 2023 and 2024. Dew-Jones notes that authorities have adopted even more aggressive rhetoric since the recent escalation of military clashes involving Israel. The regime now frequently uses the label "Zionist Christianity" to brand believers as spies for Tel Aviv. This terminology allows the state to frame ordinary spiritual acts, such as prayer meetings or baptisms, as espionage and threats to national safety. This shift in language has made the legal defence of Christians in Iranian courts almost impossible, as judges view them as political traitors rather than religious minorities.

The Impossible Burden of Proof

Many Iranians seeking safety abroad cite their new faith as the central pillar of their claim. Tehran officials frequently accuse these individuals of fabricating or exaggerating their beliefs to win immigration cases. This skepticism has also taken root in American courts, where judges often demand impossible standards of evidence. Dew-Jones argues that no human can truly assess if a belief is genuine by looking at a person. He acknowledges that some people might abuse the system but points out that courts routinely reject legitimate converts. Testimonies and church records often fail to convince judges who lack understanding of the clandestine nature of worship in Iran. This judicial cynicism results in the return of genuine believers to a country that wants to silence them.

A Family Torn Apart in California

The inconsistent application of immigration law often produces sharply divergent outcomes even within a single family unit. Immigration agents descended upon the Los Angeles residence of Marjan and Reza in late June 2025. Footage recorded by a clergyman captures the heartbreaking moment Marjan collapses on the lawn as officers seize her husband. She had frantically called the religious leader moments earlier to beg for assistance. Authorities took the couple to different holding facilities, despite both being converts who had applied for protection together. The system granted Marjan safety in California weeks later, recognising her fear of persecution. However, a different magistrate in New Mexico ordered Reza to be sent to a third country. This arbitrary splitting of a married couple demonstrates the capricious nature of the current asylum system.

Disputing the Official Narrative

Homeland Security posted a statement on social media following the June arrest of Marjan and Reza. The agency claimed that border patrol officers had caught two nationals who were unlawfully present and flagged them as threats to national safety. Torosian, the church leader who filmed the incident, disputes this characterisation entirely. He insists the couple entered the country legally through an aid scheme and possessed valid documents to work. Torosian, who fled Iran in 2010 after police detained him for trafficking holy books, questions the logic of the system. He asks why the government views the husband as a danger while granting safety to the wife. His testimony adds weight to the argument that these deportations are often based on flawed intelligence or administrative errors.

Living in Limbo and Separation

Majid remains in hiding in Turkey while his legal representative attempts to salvage his case from across the ocean. His wife resides in California alongside their young daughter, whom Majid has not seen since she was an infant. The toddler aged eighteen months has no memory of her father. This separation inflicts deep psychological trauma on the families left behind in the United States. The uncertainty of not knowing if their loved ones are safe, imprisoned, or deported creates a unique form of torture. Legal appeals can take months or years, during which time the deportee remains vulnerable to arrest by Turkish authorities. The Turkish government increasingly cooperates with Tehran on security matters, making Istanbul a precarious sanctuary for those fleeing the Ayatollahs.

Destitution and Homelessness

Ali currently lives with a friend from his local parish in the US while he awaits the result of his own hearing. He hopes his claim will succeed where his wife’s failed, but the fear of removal consumes him. He wonders how he could possibly remain in America if the government grants him protection while his wife suffers in Iran. Conversely, he knows that if they expel him, he will likely go straight to Evin Prison the moment he lands. Immigration rules prevent him from working legally or opening a bank account, rendering him destitute. He previously lived with a remote family member but eventually had to leave. He now relies on charity and sometimes has to rest in public gardens whenever he loses his temporary shelter.

The Strategic Use of Nicaragua

The decision to fly deportees like Majid to the capital of Nicaragua reveals a cynical strategic shift in enforcement. The Ortega regime maintains lax visa policies that allow for the movement of nationals from countries hostile to Washington. The US now uses this route as a dumping ground for those it rejects. Once they land in Managua, individuals like Majid are often left to fend for themselves without travel documents or money. The onward journey to Turkey and then Iran is fraught with danger. They must navigate through countries that may detain them or falling prey to human traffickers. This circuitous route adds layers of physical danger and financial burden to an already traumatic expulsion process.

Historical Roots of Persecution

The persecution of religious minorities in Iran has a long and bloody history that predates the current political tensions. The 1979 Revolution institutionalised strict Islamic laws that marginalised anyone not adhering to the state religion. While the constitution technically recognises Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, this protection only applies to ethnic minorities. Leaving the Muslim faith grants no such rights and classifies the individual as an apostate who has betrayed the state. The regime has systematically closed Persian-speaking churches over the last decade to prevent Muslims from hearing the Christian message. This strategy forces believers underground, where they become easy targets for intelligence operatives. The state views any attempt to spread Christianity as a form of cultural imperialism that must be stamped out.

A Bleak Future for Converts

The outlook for Iranian believers remains incredibly bleak as the year ends. The combination of aggressive American deportation policies and intensifying persecution inside Iran creates a perfect storm. Advocacy groups continue to document the rising number of arrests and harsh sentences handed down by revolutionary courts. The international community’s silence emboldens the Iranian regime to continue its crackdown with impunity. Men like Majid and Ali face a choice between living as fugitives in foreign lands or returning to a country that views their faith as a crime. Their stories serve as a chilling testament to the world’s abandonment of the persecuted. Unless policy changes occur, more families will face separation, and more believers will face the darkness of an Iranian prison cell.