By — Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/lawsuit-says-u-s-immigratoin-agencies-illegally-shared-confidential-information-on-iranian-asylum-seekers-with-iran Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Lawsuit says U.S. immigratoin agencies illegally shared confidential information on Iranian asylum seekers with Iran World Jul 7, 2026 4:38 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies have been sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating national immigration regulations and endangering countless Iranians, court filings argue. The lawsuit depicts a coordinated campaign between the U.S. and Iranian governments to identify Iranians in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and pressure them to return to Iran — a marked departure from decades of diplomatic hostility between the two governments and an ongoing war. The Department of Homeland Security denied that it is sharing asylum application records with the Iranian government. WATCH: How the Supreme Court immigration rulings could impact asylum in the U.S. Roughly 600 Iranians were put in immigration detention last year, according to public records obtained by the National Iranian American Council. In June, an Iranian woman was among the two dozen migrants the U.S. deported to the Central African Republic — in a marked departure from a decades-long practice by the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution forced a large number of Iranians to flee. The U.S. government is allowed to work with government officials of foreign countries to coordinate deportation logistics. However, federal regulations passed in the late 1990s prohibit the government from sharing information that could reveal that the individual getting deported applied for asylum. "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," said Ali Rahnama, the interim executive director of Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. Starting in March 2025, the U.S. State Department arranged monthly meetings with Iranian officials, using the Pakistani embassy as an intermediary, in which U.S. officials shared detailed, sensitive information about detained Iranian immigrants who the U.S. government hoped to deport, lawyers for the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and the Public Citizen Litigation Group wrote in a complaint. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. The information included details about asylum applications filed by people who say they were persecuted for converting to Christianity, for their sexuality or for participating in the Women, Life, Freedom protests against the Iranian government in 2022, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. ICE forced Iranian asylum applicants who had been detained in numerous facilities, mostly southern states, to meet with an Iranian government official who had extensive and specific knowledge about their applications, according to the complaint. The information was shared even after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran started the Iran war in February 2026. Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday that ICE works to get travel documents for detainees in their custody and that ICE facilitates "consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy." "These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE," DHS said in a statement. The lawsuit is seeking to halt sharing information about asylum seekers with the Iranian government and appoint an independent monitor to prevent future disclosures. "Despite the U.S.'s ongoing war with Iran, the administration seems more committed to mass deportation than protecting human lives," Michael Kirkpatrick, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group said in a statement. The complaint names the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and the Department of State as some of the defendants. The allegations come amid President Donald Trump's ambitious and aggressive immigration crackdown that involved over 600,000 deportations and causing roughly 1.9 million immigrants to voluntarily leave in 2025 alone, according to an announcement made by DHS. Iranian officials acknowledged in September 2025 that as many as 400 Iranians could be returned under an agreement with the Trump's administration. That month, the first of three deportation flights brought dozens of Iranians back to Iran. The second deportation flight was in December 2025, and the final recorded deportation flight departed at the end of January 2026, roughly a month before the war on Iran started, and just weeks after the Iranian government killed thousands of citizens as part of a brutal crackdown on protests. The New York Times reported at the time that some of those deported in the flights in September, December and January were asylum seekers. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies have been sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating national immigration regulations and endangering countless Iranians, court filings argue. The lawsuit depicts a coordinated campaign between the U.S. and Iranian governments to identify Iranians in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and pressure them to return to Iran — a marked departure from decades of diplomatic hostility between the two governments and an ongoing war. The Department of Homeland Security denied that it is sharing asylum application records with the Iranian government. WATCH: How the Supreme Court immigration rulings could impact asylum in the U.S. Roughly 600 Iranians were put in immigration detention last year, according to public records obtained by the National Iranian American Council. In June, an Iranian woman was among the two dozen migrants the U.S. deported to the Central African Republic — in a marked departure from a decades-long practice by the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution forced a large number of Iranians to flee. The U.S. government is allowed to work with government officials of foreign countries to coordinate deportation logistics. However, federal regulations passed in the late 1990s prohibit the government from sharing information that could reveal that the individual getting deported applied for asylum. "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," said Ali Rahnama, the interim executive director of Iranian American Legal Defense Fund. Starting in March 2025, the U.S. State Department arranged monthly meetings with Iranian officials, using the Pakistani embassy as an intermediary, in which U.S. officials shared detailed, sensitive information about detained Iranian immigrants who the U.S. government hoped to deport, lawyers for the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and the Public Citizen Litigation Group wrote in a complaint. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. The information included details about asylum applications filed by people who say they were persecuted for converting to Christianity, for their sexuality or for participating in the Women, Life, Freedom protests against the Iranian government in 2022, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. ICE forced Iranian asylum applicants who had been detained in numerous facilities, mostly southern states, to meet with an Iranian government official who had extensive and specific knowledge about their applications, according to the complaint. The information was shared even after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran started the Iran war in February 2026. Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday that ICE works to get travel documents for detainees in their custody and that ICE facilitates "consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy." "These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE," DHS said in a statement. The lawsuit is seeking to halt sharing information about asylum seekers with the Iranian government and appoint an independent monitor to prevent future disclosures. "Despite the U.S.'s ongoing war with Iran, the administration seems more committed to mass deportation than protecting human lives," Michael Kirkpatrick, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group said in a statement. The complaint names the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and the Department of State as some of the defendants. The allegations come amid President Donald Trump's ambitious and aggressive immigration crackdown that involved over 600,000 deportations and causing roughly 1.9 million immigrants to voluntarily leave in 2025 alone, according to an announcement made by DHS. Iranian officials acknowledged in September 2025 that as many as 400 Iranians could be returned under an agreement with the Trump's administration. That month, the first of three deportation flights brought dozens of Iranians back to Iran. The second deportation flight was in December 2025, and the final recorded deportation flight departed at the end of January 2026, roughly a month before the war on Iran started, and just weeks after the Iranian government killed thousands of citizens as part of a brutal crackdown on protests. The New York Times reported at the time that some of those deported in the flights in September, December and January were asylum seekers. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now
Facts Only
* A lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
* The lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government.
* The allegation depicts a coordinated campaign between the U.S. and Iranian governments to identify Iranians in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and pressure them to return to Iran.
* Roughly 600 Iranians were placed in immigration detention last year, according to public records from the National Iranian American Council.
* An Iranian woman was among two dozen migrants the U.S. deported to the Central African Republic in June.
* Federal regulations passed in the late 1990s prohibit the government from sharing information revealing an individual applied for asylum.
* Starting in March 2025, the U.S. State Department arranged monthly meetings with Iranian officials, using the Pakistani embassy as an intermediary, to share sensitive information about detained immigrants.
* The shared information included details about asylum applications filed by people persecuted for converting to Christianity, for sexuality, or for participating in protests against the Iranian government in 2022.
* ICE reportedly forced Iranian asylum applicants detained in facilities, mostly in southern states, to meet with an Iranian government official who had knowledge of their applications.
* The information sharing occurred even after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began in February 2026.
* The Department of Homeland Security denied that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government.
* The lawsuit seeks to halt information sharing and appoint an independent monitor.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative centers on the tension between established legal protections for asylum seekers, which are framed as mandatory by Congress, and executive actions that appear to bypass these safeguards through coordinated intergovernmental operations. The pattern observed is the systemic erosion of confidentiality, where government agencies facilitate an alleged pressure campaign that directly targets individuals based on their asylum status. The implication is a prioritization of mass deportation logistics over established humanitarian protections. The context involving the ongoing war with Iran and subsequent deportations introduces an acute layer of temporal urgency, suggesting that legal frameworks are being suspended under security imperatives. The claim that U.S. commitment has shifted toward mass deportation rather than protection suggests a re-evaluation of international obligations within domestic policy shifts. The core difficulty lies in assessing the gap between stated regulations prohibiting information sharing and the alleged operational reality detailed in the complaint, particularly when official denials are present. Questions arise about the resilience of regulatory protections against coordinated state action and whether independent oversight mechanisms can effectively monitor sensitive data flows across geopolitical divides.
What specific mechanisms exist to prevent executive branch agencies from engaging in intelligence or coordination operations that contravene explicit federal confidentiality statutes? How does the existence of stated legal prohibitions compare to documented administrative practices during periods of heightened geopolitical conflict? What are the long-term consequences for asylum seekers when information derived from these processes is used to facilitate political outcomes in other states?
Sentinel — Human
The text appears to be grounded in specific legal allegations and reported events, exhibiting the structural complexity and varied voice consistent with human investigative reporting rather than purely synthetic generation.