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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested hundreds of Iranian nationals during the U.S.’s June 2025 war on Iran, according to government data released to the National Iranian American Council under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) filed a FOIA request in October 2025 after reports revealed the U.S. had deported dozens of Iranian nationals — including some who could face threats from the Iranian government if sent back to Iran. ICE did not comply with the FOIA request until pressed to do so by a lawsuit.

The government data that was eventually released revealed that ICE “conducted a major surge of arrests of Iranians” during the June 2025 war on Iran, with 220 arrests in June and 80 in July of 2025.

The documents also revealed that in December 2025, 577 Iranians were being imprisoned in ICE jails across the U.S. The oldest of the Iranians in detention as of December was 77 years old, and the youngest was 5 years old, imprisoned in South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.

As of December, among the immigration jails with the largest number of Iranian detainees, Otay Mesa Detention Center in California held 54 Iranians, Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California held 52 Iranians, and the Dilley detention center in Texas held 47 Iranians. The Dilley detention center in Texas has faced scrutiny in recent weeks, with members of Congress visiting earlier this week and calling for........

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