New lawsuit alleges US shared asylum application details with Iran

Key Points:

• A lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. accuses the Trump administration of sharing confidential information from Iranian asylum seekers' applications with the Iranian government, beginning in March 2025.
• The complaint alleges that U.S. officials periodically mailed or hand-delivered immigration files to Iran, violating federal regulations that protect asylum application confidentiality.
• Public Citizen Litigation Group, representing the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, warns that this disclosure puts asylum seekers at grave risk of detention, interrogation, imprisonment, or torture upon return to Iran.
• The lawsuit claims information sharing occurred during monthly meetings between ICE and the Iranian Interests Section and continued even after these meetings ceased following U.S. military action against Iran.
• The plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction to halt the information sharing and to notify those whose data was disclosed, emphasizing that revealing asylum application details—such as political opinions or personal identities—exceeds normal government communication about travel documents.