A lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. claims the Trump administration gave identifying information about Iranian asylum seekers to the Iranian government.

The suit was brought by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, represented by attorneys from Public Citizen Litigation Group.

According to the lawsuit, U.S. immigration officials started sharing asylum files on detained Iranians with Iran's diplomatic office in Washington in March 2025. These files allegedly contained names, family information, political views, and reasons why people feared returning to Iran. The sharing happened during monthly meetings between immigration officials and Iran's Interests Section—the Iranian government's office in Washington.

These monthly meetings stopped after the United States conducted a military strike on Iran in February 2026. But the lawsuit says the file sharing continued anyway, affecting hundreds of detained Iranians.

The lawsuit is based partly on what a confidential source said: an Iranian government official who told the lawsuit's attorneys that this data-sharing arrangement actually happened.

Federal law says asylum records must stay confidential. Asylum seekers have the right to keep their information private. When records are sent abroad, U.S. law requires them to stay protected. The lawsuit argues that handing files directly to the Iranian government breaks this rule, because giving information to the government someone is fleeing from is the opposite of protection.

The lawsuit's attorneys are asking the court to stop the file sharing immediately while the case continues. They also want the government to tell people if their files were shared. No court hearing date has been set yet.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond when asked about the alleged sharing. Iran's government office at the United Nations did not respond either.

The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund has handled other cases involving Iranian asylum seekers. In June, the group noted that an Iranian woman was deported from the United States.

If the source's account is accurate, the main question becomes: how many files were shared, over how long, and did any officials approve it? The lawsuit also notes that file sharing continued even after the regular meetings between U.S. officials and Iran's office stopped. This suggests, according to the lawsuit, that the arrangement was set up separately from routine government contacts.