Trump admin to deport hundreds of Iranians back to Iran: reports

• The Times reported that a U.S.-chartered flight took off from Louisiana Monday night.

What they're saying: A White House spokesperson did not confirm the deal, but sent the following statement:

• "The Trump Administration is committed to fulfilling President Trump's promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history, using all the tools at our disposal."
• The State Department referred an Axios' request seeking more information on the deportations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Driving the news: Some 400 Iranians are set to be sent back to the country, most of whom were detained for entering the U.S. illegally (and mainly through Mexico), an Iranian Foreign Ministry official told a state media outlet.

• The first group should arrive within one to two days will enter Iran via Qatar, the official said.

The big picture: Scores of Iranians have fled to the U.S. since the country's 1979 revolution. Tehran has been sensitive to those seeking residency to escape persecution, The Associated Press reported.

• The National Iranian American Council, an advocacy group, has reported a spike in the arrests of Iranian nationals under the Trump administration.
• Earlier this year, the U.S. sent a group of migrants that included Iranian Christians, to Panama and Costa Rica.
• In June, Trump issued a proclamation restricting the entry of people from a dozen countries into the U.S., including Iran.

Go deeper: Here are the 3rd-countries where the Trump admin is deporting migrants