A lawsuit filed on Tuesday accuses the Trump administration’s immigration agencies of secretly sharing information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government. This action allegedly breaches national immigration protocols and endangers many Iranians, according to court documents. The case describes a strategic alliance between the U.S. and Iran, aiming to identify and pressure detained Iranians to return home, contrary to historic tensions between the two governments.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied any collaboration with the Iranian government involving asylum application records. Public records indicate that approximately 600 Iranians were detained last year, as reported by the National Iranian American Council. In June, a notable incident involved an Iranian woman deported to the Central African Republic, highlighting a shift in the U.S. policy of welcoming dissidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
While U.S. authorities can cooperate with foreign governments on deportation logistics, regulations from the late 1990s prohibit sharing any information that might reveal an individual applied for asylum. Ali Rahnama, interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, emphasized the critical nature of these confidentiality protections.
“Congress enforced these protections because lives are at stake, and they must be respected by any agency or administration,”Rahnama stated.
Lawyers from the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and Public Citizen Litigation Group claim that starting March 2025, the U.S. State Department conducted monthly meetings with Iranian officials, through the Pakistani embassy, revealing sensitive data of detained Iranians. This data included details about asylum applications from individuals persecuted for religious conversion, sexuality, or participation in anti-government protests in Iran in 2022.
The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleges that detained Iranian asylum seekers were forced to meet with Iranian officials who were surprisingly well-informed about their cases. This information exchange persisted even after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran initiated conflict in February 2026.
In response, Homeland Security stated that ICE assists with travel documents for detainees and ensures “consular access to detained individuals according to laws and policy.” They dismiss the accusations of sharing asylum records with the Iranian government as “FALSE.”
The lawsuit seeks to halt the sharing of asylum seekers’ information with Iran and calls for an independent monitor to ensure future compliance with regulations. Michael Kirkpatrick, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group, criticized the administration’s approach during the U.S.’s conflict with Iran.
“The administration seems more committed to mass deportation than to human safety,”Kirkpatrick remarked.
The suit names top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, and others. The allegations arise amidst a broader immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, marked by over 600,000 deportations, with around 1.9 million voluntary departures reported in 2025, according to DHS.
Iranian authorities confirmed in September 2025 that an agreement with the U.S. allowed for the return of up to 400 Iranians. The deportation flights commenced in that month, followed by additional flights in December and January 2026, shortly before the Iran conflict began and after severe repression of protests in Iran. Reports indicated that many of those deported were asylum seekers.
Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.