France, Sept. 24 -- Arsaalan Saleh Fard, a 25-year-old Iranian, fled his country hoping to find refuge in the United States.

He had shared slogans and resistance texts online after the protests triggered by the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly violating Iran's headscarf rules. He had also converted to Christianity, and learnt that he was the target of an arrest warrant.

In February 2025, after a long journey from Venezuela, Saleh Fard crossed the Mexico-US border near San Diego and turned himself in to the authorities to seek asylum. He was immediately detained.

Around 10 days later, Saleh Fard was put on a flight to Panama - a country with which he had no connection.

He ...