Iranian woman fled Iran for US, was later deported to country she had never visited

The Trump administration has increasingly deported migrants to third countries they have never previously visited, including people who face restrictions on being returned to their countries of origin. Nika, an Iranian migrant now in Bangui, Central African Republic, is one of those cases.

After months in ICE detention and a brief period living freely in California, she was arrested at what she believed was a routine meeting and deported to a country she had never been to. She says she fears returning to Iran because of her history of protesting against the government and the treatment of people involved in such protests.

‘If I was in Iran, they’re going to kill me’

Nika says she spent much of her youth protesting against the Iranian regime and lost friends during government crackdowns.

“I lost too much of my friends. They [the Islamic Republic] killed them. And some of them are still in prison,” she told CNN tearfully. “I know if I was in Iran, they’re going to kill me.”

She is speaking publicly about her experience for the first time as relations between the US and Iran have undergone major upheaval.

Earlier this year, Iran was rocked by widespread anti-government protests. The regime responded with an unprecedented crackdown that killed thousands. President Donald Trump encouraged protesters to “take over your institutions” and said, “help is on its way.”

On the last day of February, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and attacking targets across the country.

Nika followed the developments from the United States and allowed herself to hope that the conflict could lead to the end of the Iranian regime and allow her to return home. But by then, US authorities had already decided her fate.

A deportation she did not expect

Nika spent months in ICE detention after being detained at the border before briefly being allowed to live freely in California.

In June, the Department of Homeland Security sent her a notice asking her to attend what she understood to be a routine meeting. According to documents reviewed by CNN, however, US authorities had decided weeks earlier to deport her.

She was arrested when she attended the meeting.

Three days later, on the evening of June 11, Nika said authorities handcuffed and shackled her before putting her on a deportation flight with 17 other migrants, including people from Afghanistan, Iraq and Georgia.

“This is one of the very hard days in my life,” she said, describing how her whole body shook with fear.

Nika said she only discovered where she was being sent after boarding the plane, when she saw the destination on the small screen attached to the seat in front of her.

Sahar Jalili Pawelski, Nika’s current immigration lawyer, said she made desperate efforts to prevent the deportation.

“I remember when the flight took off, I just sat on the floor, called my mom and cried. I live those moments. You know what that person must’ve been feeling. The loneliness she must have felt,” said Pawelski.

Protection order did not prevent deportation

Like many of the migrants deported with her, Nika had obtained a protection order from an American judge. Such orders are intended to prevent migrants from being sent to countries where they could face persecution, torture or death.

Until recently, it was extremely rare for people covered by such orders to be deported.

That has changed since Trump returned to power last year with a pledge to carry out mass deportations. Stephen Miller, Trump’s top anti-immigration advocate and deputy chief of staff, has stated: “America’s doors are closed, fully, to asylum seekers.”

A new life in Bangui

When Nika arrived in Bangui, she initially felt relieved.

“It’s okay now, I’m safe,” she remembered thinking. “I can make one new life here.”

She described her happiness at reaching “one of the best countries in the world”, but the feeling proved short-lived.

Nika says she fears for both her own safety and that of her family. Because of those concerns, Nika is a pseudonym.