Trump administration gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers, lawsuit alleges

Trump administration gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers, lawsuit alleges ‘Despite the U.S.’s ongoing war with Iran, the administration seems more committed to mass deportation than protecting human lives,’ said an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group - Bookmark A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that immigration agencies within the Trump administration shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government. Court filings argue this practice violates national immigration regulations, thereby endangering numerous Iranians. The lawsuit alleges a joint effort by the U.S. and Iranian governments to identify and pressure Iranians in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody into returning to Iran. This alleged campaign represents a significant deviation from decades of diplomatic hostility and the ongoing conflict between the two nations. The U.S. government stands accused of sharing highly sensitive information about detained Iranian immigrants, including asylum seekers, with Iranian officials, potentially endangering individuals who fled persecution. This alleged practice marks a significant departure from decades of U.S. policy that historically welcomed Iranian dissidents and exiles following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Public records obtained by the National Iranian American Council indicate that approximately 600 Iranians were held in immigration detention last year. In June, an Iranian woman was among two dozen migrants deported by the U.S. to the Central African Republic. Federal regulations enacted in the late 1990s explicitly prohibit the government from disclosing information that could reveal an individual has applied for asylum. "Congress made these confidentiality protections mandatory precisely because lives depend on them, and no agency and no administration, of either party, may set them aside," stated Ali Rahnama, interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by lawyers for the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, the U.S. State Department began arranging monthly meetings with Iranian officials in March 2025, using the Pakistani embassy as an intermediary. During these meetings, U.S. officials reportedly shared detailed, sensitive information about detained Iranian immigrants the U.S. government sought to deport. The lawsuit alleges that this information included specifics about asylum applications filed by individuals claiming persecution for converting to Christianity, their sexuality, or participation in the 2022 "Women, Life, Freedom" protests against the Iranian government. Furthermore, the complaint states that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) compelled Iranian asylum applicants, detained in various facilities primarily in southern states, to meet with an Iranian government official who possessed extensive and specific knowledge of their applications. This information sharing reportedly continued even after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran initiated the Iran war in February 2026. The suit seeks to halt the US government from sharing sensitive information about asylum seekers with the Iranian government, also demanding an independent monitor to prevent future disclosures. This legal challenge underscores concerns over the safety of individuals seeking refuge amid a volatile geopolitical landscape. "Despite the U.S.’s ongoing war with Iran, the administration seems more committed to mass deportation than protecting human lives," stated Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group. The complaint names the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, and the Department of State as defendants. Neither DHS nor the State Department responded to a request for comment Tuesday morning. These allegations emerge against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s ambitious and aggressive immigration crackdown. This initiative reportedly led to over 600,000 deportations and prompted approximately 1.9 million immigrants to voluntarily depart in 2025 alone, per a DHS announcement. Iranian officials confirmed in September 2025 that up to 400 Iranians could be repatriated under an agreement with the Trump administration. The first of three deportation flights occurred that month, returning dozens. Subsequent flights took place in December 2025 and January 2026. The final recorded flight departed weeks after the Iranian government brutally suppressed protests, killing thousands, and roughly a month before the war on Iran commenced. The New York Times reported some individuals on these flights were asylum seekers. [Image text:] EXIT> POLICE POLICE BOROCNSTOMECAION RESTRICTED AREA CCESS