New lawsuit alleges US shared asylum application details with Iran

Immigration New lawsuit alleges US shared asylum application details with Iran July 7, 202610:04 AM ET Ximena Bustillo Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to testify during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on June 03, 2026. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America A new lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. alleges the Trump administration is divulging details of Iranian asylum seekers to the government of Iran. Lawyers with the left-leaning Public Citizen Litigation Group argue the administration began sharing information about the applications with Iran in March 2025. Since then, U.S. government officials have "periodically mailed or hand delivered immigration files of Iranians" in immigration custody to the Iranian government, according to the complaint. "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," said Michael Kirkpatrick, an attorney with Public Citizen, told NPR. Public Citizen Litigation Group is representing the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund in the suit. Sponsor Message "That information could put them in grave risk upon return," Kirkpatrick 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 also alleges applications for deportation relief and asylum applications were provided during monthly meetings between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Iranian Interests Section, the body that handles consular duties in the U.S.. These meetings, according to the filing, stopped after the U.S. attacked Iran in February, but the sharing of documents continued. The Trump administration increased the number of deportees back to Iran j...