The U.S. government is planning to deport Reza Zavvar, an Iranian man who has lived in the United States since 1985, to Australia, despite his lack of connections to that country. Zavvar, 52, a recruiter from Maryland, faces deportation due to a marijuana possession conviction from the 1990s, according to his lawyer. A court order prevents his return to Iran because of the risk of persecution there. Immigration authorities arrested him in late June while he was walking his dog in his suburban neighborhood and have since detained him in Texas.

"They got him while he was walking his dog in his quiet suburban neighborhood," said his lawyer, Ava Benach. "And they detained him and sent him to Texas to hold him, and they said: 'We're gonna deport you to Australia or Romania.'" The rationale behind selecting these countries remains unclear.

Zavvar's family and friends are raising funds for his legal battle. They describe him as a community-oriented individual who has helped elderly neighbors and prepared sandwiches for those in need. His sister, Maryam, emphasized in an online petition that after 40 years in the U.S., he knows no other home. "He waits in a privately run detention center, thousands of miles from anything familiar, while bureaucrats decide his future," she wrote.

The case has drawn attention to a controversial strategy employed by the Trump administration, which has increasingly sought to deport migrants to countries with which they have no ties. Immigration lawyers noted that they had not previously seen Australia listed as a potential destination for deportees. "Most of us in the immigration bar have been hearing about cases being sent to Central and South America," said Mahsa Khanbabai, a director on the American Immigration Lawyers Association board. "Australia is not a country that we would normally consider to be in such a position."

The Australian government stated it had not been contacted by U.S. authorities regarding Zavvar's case. A spokesperson confirmed, "There have been no new agreements made with the Trump administration on immigration." Despite inquiries, neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided an explanation for the choice of Australia. However, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, "ICE continues to try and find a country willing to accept this criminal illegal alien."

Zavvar's sister described him as a "gentle giant" who built a life in Maryland surrounded by family. He had a green card, allowing him permanent residency, but his past conviction jeopardized that status. In 2004, an airport agent discovered his conviction, initiating a process that could lead to deportation. A judge later issued a "withholding of removal" order, preventing his return to Iran. However, DHS maintains that his conviction for attempted possession of a controlled substance is grounds for deportation. "Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.," McLaughlin said. "Zavvar had almost 20 years to self-deport and leave the United States."

The Trump administration has been negotiating with various countries to accept deportees who cannot return to their home countries. This includes migrants from nations like Vietnam, Cuba, and Jamaica, who have been sent to South Sudan and Eswatini. Recently, Rwanda announced it would accept up to 250 deportees, citing its societal values of reintegration and rehabilitation.

The administration claims it is fulfilling a promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants, particularly those with criminal records. "Under President Trump … if you break the law, you will face the consequences," McLaughlin said. However, immigration advocates argue that Zavvar's case reflects a broader trend of targeting Iranians since U.S. airstrikes on Iran in June. Khanbabai noted that many Iranian green card and student visa holders, often with clean records, have been detained.

"The Trump administration claimed that they were going to be going after criminals, yet the vast majority of people, including the Iranians, don't have any serious criminal offenses or any at all," Khanbabai said. Zavvar's lawyer hopes that the attention surrounding his arrest will prevent his deportation. "I honestly think that they wanted to make a show of arresting Iranians in the wake of our bombing of the Iranian nuclear facility," Benach said. "What people are going to remember is that the administration was arresting Iranians when they were certain that the Iranians were going to retaliate."