A new lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., alleges that 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 that 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.
"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."