US deportation flight carrying Iranians turned back after Pakistan refuses entry - report

A US deportation flight carrying Iranian detainees was forced to turn around on Tuesday after Pakistan reportedly refused to receive them, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF).The detainees were scheduled to be flown to Pakistan before being transported to Iran. However, Pakistani authorities declined to accept them, according to two sources familiar with the situation who spoke to ABC News. The reason for Pakistan's refusal remains unclear.The aborted flight marked the second failed attempt to deport the group, after an earlier flight scheduled to depart from Mesa, Arizona, was canceled on Sunday.The detainees had already boarded the plane on Sunday when the flight was canceled, and they were then returned to a detention facility, an IALDF attorney told ABC News.A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said on Wednesday that Tuesday's flight "contained criminal illegal aliens who have criminal histories that include arrests and convictions covering assaults, drug trafficking, child abuse, domestic battery, and illegal weapon possession.""They all had final orders of removal," the DHS spokesperson said. "Every illegal alien has their claims heard and receives due process. If a judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.