A new lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the Trump administration’s immigration agencies of disclosing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers to the Iranian government.
Allegations in the suit, filed in a federal district court by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, reflect a level of coordination between the U.S. and Iran that violates national immigration law — especially between two countries deep in conflict.
The lawsuit alleges that since last March, ICE has provided detainees’ immigration records — including asylum applications — to officials with the Iranian Interest Section, the de facto Iranian consulate hosted by the Pakistani Embassy. Many of those asylum seekers identify as pro-democracy protesters, religious minorities or members of the LGBTQ+ community, the court filing reads.
It is not unusual for ICE to coordinate logistical operations with foreign governments, such as obtaining passports for detainees, when processing deportations. However, federal law states that information related to asylum cases, refugee admissions or protections under the United Nations Convention Against Torture should be kept confidential by DHS. DHS must also coordinate with the State Department to maintain confidentiality of the records.
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A DHS spokesperson denied the accusations in a statement, saying ICE “meets and works to get travel documents for detainees with every country.”
“ICE is committed to ensuring that illegal aliens are informed of their right to communicate with their consular representatives,” the statement reads. “Consistent with established protocols, ICE provides illegal aliens the opportunity to contact their consular post and facilitates consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy.”
While alleged monthly meetings between ICE and Iranian officials stopped after the U.S. attacked Iran in February, the immigration agency has continued to mail or hand-deliver document packages to the Iranian Interest Section, the lawsuit says. Iranian officials have also allegedly met detainees who say the officials had knowledge of their cases — including details of their asylum applications, court documents say.
The lawsuit seeks an end to the alleged sharing of personal information with Iran and asks the administration to stop deporting Iranian ICE detainees until a special master is appointed to review the files shared with Iranian officials.
Roughly 600 Iranians were put in immigration detention last year. Since Trump’s second term began, the administration has deported more than 100 Iranians — some of them asylum seekers whose requests were pending or denied — and struck a deal with Iran last September to return hundreds more.
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