The Department of Homeland Security is increasingly using the Mesa Gateway Airport as a deportation hub, as it seeks to carry out President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Arizona’s Family Investigates analyzed information, contained in databases obtained from the Deportation Data Project, about detainees who were deported from Mesa Gateway. The Deportation Data Project is a nonprofit that collects immigration data.
We found the number of flights and the number of people flying out of Mesa Gateway increasing dramatically over the past two years, from roughly 4,500 people in 2024 to 5,800 in 2025.
The ages ranged from young children to senior citizens, some with criminal records in the U.S., others with no criminal history. They were deported to countries in North, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
On Jan. 25, data show 11 Iranian citizens were deported to Tehran.
“So this was just right in the middle of the mass protests in Iran,” said Savi Arvey, who is director of research and analysis for refugee and immigrant rights at Human Rights First.
She tracks deportation flights and collects information about the people on board those flights.
There is not a lot of information available about the people who were deported to Tehran in January. We know the oldest person was a 57- or 58-year-old man. The youngest was a 19- or 20-year-old woman.
“There were political dissidents. There were Christians. There were profiles of people who would definitely kind of be, you know, at risk back in Iran,” said Arvey.
ICE officials did not directly respond to questions about the deportation to Iran. It was the third such flight to Iran in the past year, the second from Mesa Gateway.
According to Human Rights First, last year 778 ICE flights departed from Mesa Gateway. The pace appears to be increasing this year, with 338 flights through the end of March.
A spokesperson for Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican whose district includes Mesa, issued a statement.
“Congressman Biggs is confident Secretary Mullin and his team are balancing the tasks of deporting violent criminals while respecting basic rights, but they need resources to get the job done. If there is concern from citizens over how DHS is going about their important work, they should call on Democrats to fund the agency and let law enforcement agents effectively and responsibly do their jobs,” said Drew Sexton, the senior advisor to Biggs for Arizona.
Biggs is running for the Republican nomination for governor.
