Iran ended up being eliminated from World Cup, failing to win any match (but also unbeaten, three draws against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand that weren't enough to qualify for round of 32). The national team returns home after staying in Mexico but playing all three matches in the United States, Los Angeles, and Seattle, being forced by the US government to be less than 24 hours inside the country - a bit more for the final match - with very restrictive visas and some staff members being denied altogether.
The Iranian football federation complained heavily against FIFA (their coach Amir Ghalenoei said they had been the most oppressed nation in the history of World Cup). But when they left, the US homeland security chief Markwayne Mullin said "there wasn't a single team that we dealt with more than them", and said they had no right to complain because their Mexican base camps were close to the US, and that they were screened by police officers in the airports so they were not harassed.
Mullin, who linked "almost half" of the Iranian World Cup party to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, many of whom were denied entrance, said he was "very happy they were going back".
"I'm just glad they're done, and they're not coming back," Mullin said, via Sports Business Journal. "I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the U.S. soil, and I might've sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance."
Mullin spoke about a new supreme court order that may result in thousands of deportations of Haitians and Syrians
Mullin was appointed by Trump in March, replacing Kristi Noem, who was fired because of "many unfortunate leadership failures". Mullin spoke during a World Cup security briefing at the government's Special Event Coordination Center on Monday, and also referred to the controversial supreme court decision that stripped humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants by removing their temporary protected status (TPS), originally given to refugees from countries plagued by conflict and destitution: "Either try to fill out the paperwork and be here underneath a permanent status, or we'll help you get back to your country", said Mullin (via The Guardian).