Lawsuit Alleges US Shared Iranian Asylum Data With Iran
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- Public Citizen Litigation Group filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, alleging the Trump administration adopted a policy last year of sharing confidential immigration files of Iranian asylum seekers with Iran.
- The suit says affected asylum seekers include pro-democracy protestors, Evangelical Christians, and LGBTQ community members who fled persecution in Iran.
- DHS denied the allegations as 'FALSE,' stating ICE is 'committed to ensuring that illegal aliens are informed of their right to communicate with their consular representatives.'
- Iranian detainees who met with an 'Iranian Interest Section official' reported the official had knowledge of their asylum application details, according to the lawsuit.
- Because there is no Iranian consulate in the U.S., Iran's consular functions are handled by the Iranian Interest Section housed within the Embassy of Pakistan.
- The lawsuit alleges the information-sharing policy continued despite last year's U.S. strikes on Iran, Iran's crackdown on protesters, and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran launched February 28.
- The suit seeks appointment of an independent monitor to prevent further disclosures and halt any alleged information sharing with Iran.
Why it matters: If the allegations are accurate, the U.S. government shared sensitive data about Iranian dissidents — pro-democracy protesters, religious minorities, and LGBTQ individuals — with the very regime they fled, potentially exposing them to retaliation. The case adds a new dimension to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement, which human rights groups already say violates free speech and due process.
