Lawsuit says U.S. gives Iran immigration files of Iranian asylum seekers

Data sharing continues after U.S. military strike on Iran, suit alleges

The complaint, filed on behalf of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, alleges that U.S. government officials have “periodically mailed or hand delivered immigration files of Iranians” in immigration custody to the Iranian government since March 2025. The sharing occurred during monthly meetings between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Iranian Interests Section, the body that handles consular duties in the United States, according to the lawsuit.

Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group, said the disclosures violate federal regulations that protect the confidentiality of asylum records. “The law is very clear that information within an asylum application or other applications for similar forms of protection cannot be shared particularly with the government that the individual is fleeing,” Kirkpatrick told NPR.

The lawsuit also alleges that applications for deportation relief and asylum applications were provided during those monthly meetings. The meetings stopped after the U.S. attacked Iran in February, but the sharing of documents continued, according to the filing.

Kirkpatrick said the disclosures could have severe consequences for detainees. “That information could put them in grave risk upon return,” he said. “They could be detained. They could be interrogated. They could be sent to prison. They could be tortured. As well as the risk to their family and acquaintances who remain in Iran.”

The lawsuit claims that information on hundreds of Iranian detainees seeking asylum has been shared, including identifying information, familial relationships, political opinions, and the reasons they feared the Iranian government. Kirkpatrick said some of those identifying details could include information about participation in pro-democracy demonstrations, membership in the LGBTQ community, or conversion to Christianity — all of which could put a person at risk of persecution in Iran.

“The detainees contributed this information to their asylum application files in reliance on the confidentiality protections provided by federal regulations, with the understanding that the information would not be shared with the Iranian Government,” the lawsuit states. The complaint also alleges that at times detainees met with Iranian Interest Section officials despite not consenting to do so.

The lawsuit is also based on confidential information from an Iranian government official confirming the data sharing policy, according to the complaint. Kirkpatrick said attorneys at Public Citizen believe the administration is sharing this information based on testimony from detainees who say they have been called into meetings with senior officials from the Iran Interest Section, where officials already knew information within their asylum claims.

The Trump administration has sent three deportation flights and over 100 people to Iran, according to Kirkpatrick. Others have been deported to third countries including Panama and the Central African Republic.

Federal regulation related to asylum applications states that records kept by the Homeland Security Department and immigration courts should be protected from disclosure and that the State Department must also work to ensure confidentiality is maintained if records are transmitted to State offices in other countries.

Kirkpatrick said the organization is planning to request a preliminary injunction to freeze the information sharing temporarily and to personally notify those whose information has been shared.

The Homeland Security Department did not respond to an immediate request for comment, nor to questions about information sharing with the Iranian Special Interest Section. The Iranian Mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.