Lawsuit alleges US shared Iranian asylum seeker data with Iran

A lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleges that the Trump administration illegally shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with Iran's government. The plaintiffs, represented by the Public Citizen Litigation Group on behalf of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, claim this policy endangered individuals, many of whom are pro-democracy protestors, members of religious minorities, or the LGBTQ community, who seek refuge in the United States due to grave dangers in Iran.

The lawsuit asserts that the alleged policy continued despite U.S. strikes against Iran and Iran's crackdown on protesters. It details that Iranian detainees who met with an "Iranian Interest Section official" reported the official had knowledge of their immigration cases, including asylum application details. Consular functions for Iran in the U.S. are handled by the Iranian Interest Section housed within the Embassy of Pakistan, as there is no Iranian consulate.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has denied these allegations, stating that the claims of ICE sharing asylum application records with the Iranian government are false. ICE affirmed its commitment to informing illegal aliens of their right to communicate with consular representatives. ICE has been a prominent agency in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts, which have drawn criticism from human rights groups for alleged violations of free speech and due process.