The Trump administration shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with officials in Tehran while pursuing removals, a federal lawsuit filed July 7 alleges. The disclosures allegedly included identities, immigration histories, asylum applications and records involving people in ICE custody.

The case, Iranian American Legal Defense Fund v. Rubio, No. 1:26-cv-02375, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It seeks an order stopping the disclosures and a declaration that the practice violates federal law.

The complaint says the exchanges began after a March 2025 agreement with Iran. U.S. officials allegedly held monthly meetings with Iranian representatives and also sent or hand-delivered immigration files.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected the accusation.

“These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE. ICE is committed to ensuring that illegal aliens are informed of their right to communicate with their consular representatives.”

A DHS spokesperson issued the statement July 7. The lawsuit remains pending, and no court has issued a ruling on the merits as of July 12, 2026.

The complaint describes a standing channel with Iranian officials

The plaintiffs allege that the State Department and ICE began monthly, in-person meetings with Iranian officials in March 2025. The meetings allegedly took place at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C., in the Iranian Interests Section.

At an initial meeting, U.S. officials reportedly provided Iranian diplomats with a deportation list containing at least 150 candidates, the complaint says. Later exchanges allegedly involved packages of immigration records delivered through the diplomatic channel.

The documents allegedly included full asylum applications, final orders of removal, identities, political opinions, family relationships and explanations of why applicants feared Iran. The complaint also identifies religious conversions, including conversion to Christianity, and political activity connected to the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” protests.

Some records allegedly concerned detainees. Roughly 600 Iranians were held in immigration detention in 2025, while more than 100 people were deported to Iran under the administration, according to the lawsuit. One deportation flight took place in January 2026, weeks before the outbreak of war described in the complaint.

The plaintiffs say officials continued to “hand-deliver document packages” after the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, 2026. That characterization appears in the complaint, which links the alleged transfers to the administration’s “mass deportation agenda.”

Confidentiality rules protect the fact of an asylum application

Federal asylum confidentiality rules generally bar officials from disclosing information that would reveal or imply that someone sought asylum. The rule exists because disclosure to the government a person fears can expose the applicant or relatives to persecution.

The complaint alleges violations of 8 C.F.R. §§ 208.6 and 236.1(e). Those provisions are described in the litigation as restricting disclosure of an asylum application to the government from which the applicant seeks protection.

Michael Kirkpatrick, lead counsel with the Public Citizen Litigation Group, said the restrictions leave officials no authority to disclose the records described in the case.

“The law is clear: State Department and DHS regulations prohibit ICE officials from revealing information from asylum applications to foreign governments. But that is exactly what they are doing. Disclosing this confidential information violates these asylum seekers' confidentiality rights and puts their lives at risk.”

The lawsuit also names Marco Rubio, the secretary of State, as a defendant. The complaint alleges that Rubio authorized the diplomatic channel used to share sensitive information.

Markwayne Mullin, sworn in as secretary of Homeland Security on March 24, 2026, is also named. He replaced Kristi Noem and oversees the agencies alleged to have participated in the exchanges.

David Venturella, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is another defendant. A former executive at the private prison company GEO Group, Venturella assumed the acting position on June 1, 2026.

Detainees allegedly faced interviews after officials received their records

The complaint says some people detained by immigration authorities were forced into interviews with Iranian officials. Those officials allegedly arrived with detailed information about the detainees’ asylum claims and used it to pressure them to “voluntarily” return to Iran.

Human rights organizations cited in the litigation warned that people whose information reached Tehran could face “interrogation, torture, and death” if returned. The lawsuit says Iranian authorities may view asylum applications, particularly claims based on political or religious grounds, as acts of treason.

The alleged disclosures therefore extend beyond names and case numbers. They could identify political activity, religious choices, family ties and the reasons applicants said they feared the Iranian government.

Ali Rahnama, interim executive director of the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, said Congress made the protections mandatory because applicants’ safety depends on them.

“Congress made these confidentiality protections mandatory precisely because lives depend on them, and no agency and no administration. may set them aside.”

Plaintiffs seek an immediate halt and outside oversight

The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction from U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes. The requested relief would immediately stop the alleged transfers and appoint an independent monitor to oversee ICE communications with foreign governments.

The case asks the court to determine whether the alleged meetings, mailings and hand deliveries violated asylum confidentiality protections. It also seeks a declaration that the conduct was unlawful.

The government’s position is narrower and directly conflicts with the complaint. DHS said ICE did not share asylum application records with Iran, while the plaintiffs allege that officials transferred applications and related files through a recurring diplomatic process.

No published ruling or binding precedent on the merits had appeared as of July 12, 2026. The requested injunction would be the next major test of whether the alleged disclosures continue while the lawsuit proceeds.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.