Lawsuit Alleges U.S. Shared Iranian Asylum Data; DHS Denies Claims

The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington alleging that the Trump administration shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government. The complaint states that the disclosures included details of asylum applications based on persecution for converting to Christianity, for sexuality, or for participation in the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests.

It further alleges that monthly meetings between U.S. and Iranian officials began in March 2025 through the Pakistani embassy as intermediary, during which U.S. officials provided sensitive data on detained Iranians targeted for deportation.

The suit claims the information sharing continued after Israeli strikes began the Iran war on Feb. 28, 2026, with documents mailed or hand-delivered to the Iranian Interest Section even after in-person meetings stopped. It alleges Iranian officials met dozens of detainees at ICE facilities, sometimes without consent.

More than 100 Iranians have been deported to Iran during the Trump administration, according to the complaint, which cites three deportation flights in September 2025, December 2025 and January 2026. Roughly 600 Iranians entered immigration detention last year. The lawsuit seeks an order halting further disclosures and the appointment of an independent monitor to review files already shared.

The complaint names the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin as defendants. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News that the allegations ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are false.

The department said ICE follows established protocols for obtaining travel documents and facilitating consular access.

Neither agency responded to an emailed request for comment on Tuesday morning.