A lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., alleges that the Trump administration unlawfully shared confidential personal information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government. The complaint, filed by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF) and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, claims that the U.S. provided detailed information on hundreds of detainees seeking asylum, including pro-democracy protesters, religious minorities, and LGBTQ individuals. The lawsuit asserts that this disclosure violates asylum seekers' confidentiality rights and puts them at risk of persecution, torture, or death if deported to Iran.
The complaint states that in March 2025, U.S. State Department officials met with Iranian officials in Washington to discuss deportations, including those held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit also notes that a dozen U.S. senators wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February to express concerns about sending detainees to a country where they face persecution. A State Department official acknowledged in a response that the Iranian government engages in persecution of religious minorities and systematic oppression.
The lawsuit alleges that the U.S. government shared asylum application details during monthly meetings between ICE and the Iranian Interests Section, which handles consular duties in the U.S. These meetings reportedly stopped after the U.S. attacked Iran in February, but the sharing of documents continued. The Trump administration reportedly increased the number of deportees to Iran just before the war began. Attorneys at Public Citizen believe the administration is sharing this information based on testimony from detainees in immigration custody.