DHS gave Iran sensitive information about asylum-seekers: Lawsuit
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund (IALDF) has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of illegally sharing confidential data about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government.Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that as March 2025, U.S. agencies such as the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have exchanged sensitive data, including details about individuals being deported by ICE, which could reveal their asylum claims. This disclosure is claimed to endanger these individuals and their families by risking persecution, torture, or death upon return to Iran. ICE has denied the allegations, asserting they follow lawful procedures and ensure detainees’ rights. The lawsuit seeks to halt the sharing of such information, address the misconduct, and protect the confidentiality and safety of asylum seekers. The case highlights concerns over violations of legal protections meant to safeguard asylum applicants’ privacy and the potential consequences of such data sharing for vulnerable populations.
The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, alleging it illegally shared confidential information about Iranians seeking asylum in the United States with the Iranian government.
The organization filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., alleging that the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security began sharing sensitive information in March 2025, putting pro-democracy protesters, religious minorities, and those who identify as LGBT at risk of being subjected to persecution or death in Iran. The information pertains to data about Iranian nationals being removed from the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would reveal or infer to the Iranian authorities “that the individual to be removed had applied for asylum,” putting asylum-seekers at risk by disclosing their reasons for fleeing the country, according to plaintiffs.
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“Disclosing their confidential information to the Iranian Government violates the asylum seekers’ confidentiality rights, puts those who are subject to removal to Iran, directly or through chain refoulement via third countries, at risk of persecution, torture, and death following their arrival in Iran, and endangers their family members and acquaintances who may still be residing in Iran,” the group said in the complaint.
ICE denied the claims in a statement to the Washington Examiner, saying it used only “established protocols” and “all lawful options” to deport detainees.
“These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“ICE meets and works to get travel documents for detainees with every country,” the statement continued. “ICE is committed to ensuring that illegal aliens are informed of their right to communicate with their consular representatives. Consistent with established protocols, ICE provides illegal aliens the opportunity to contact their consular post and facilitates consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy. We will continue to use all lawful options to deport illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities.”
Through the left-leaning Public Citizen Litigation Group, IALDF is petitioning U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from giving Iran data. The group is also requesting an order that officials notify detainees whose information was shared and enjoin the deportation of any detainees until a “special master” is appointed by the court and has reviewed the controversy.
The complaint alleged the U.S. illegally shared the information with the Iranian government, as it sought to reform the immigration system “in furtherance of its mass deportation agenda.” The U.S. is accused of using the Pakistani Embassy as an intermediary to set up the deal with the Iranian government, holding monthly meetings to share the immigration files of Iranians in ICE custody, including final orders of removal and applications for asylum. Iranian officials have met with dozens of detainees at ICE facilities, according to the lawsuit. Monthly in-person meetings stopped before the war began on Feb. 28, but ICE “continued to mail or hand deliver document packages to the Iranian Interest Section,” according to plaintiffs.
Federal regulations prohibit the government from disclosing information that could reveal an individual has applied for asylum.
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“Congress made these confidentiality protections mandatory precisely because lives depend on them, and no agency and no administration, of either party, may set them aside,” interim IALDF executive director Ali Rahnama said.
The lawsuit alleged State Department officials provided a list of around 150 people it wished to deport from the U.S. to Iran. The U.S. deported around 125 people so far to Iran in at least three deportation flights to Iran between Sept. 30, 2025, and Jan. 25, the lawsuit claimed, including Christians, LGBT-identifying individuals, and people involved in the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
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