Four men of "national security interest" are among 31 people deported from the U.S. recently. Most were flown to the Middle East, says an AP report.

 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say one of the deportees was an Iraqi who had previous contact with a high-level al-Qaida operative in Iraq. In all, 23 deportees went to Iraq, six to Lebanon and two to the island nation of Cape Verde off Africa's West Coast. They were flown by charter flight last week, says the report.

 

The agency says among the deportees were those with U.S. and foreign criminal convictions including murder, aggravated assault, burglary, assault weapons possession or drug charges.