Documents filed Wednesday in a federal lawsuit reveal that during the final months of the Trump administration, U.S. officials shared sensitive information about Iranian asylum seekers with Iranian government representatives in Washington, D.C., raising concerns about the safety of those individuals if deported. The filings, submitted in U.S. District Court in Washington, detail interactions between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Iranian officials from September 2025 through January 2026, shortly before hostilities escalated between the two countries.

The suit, brought by the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund, alleges that the Trump administration provided Iranian authorities with confidential details regarding asylum seekers’ reasons for fleeing Iran, as well as updates on detention and deportation efforts. According to declarations from Cyrus Mehri, a lawyer and board member of the advocacy group, Iranian officials maintained ongoing contact with ICE and were reportedly receiving dossiers on detainees even after the U.S. conducted military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.

Mr. Mehri describes a March 2026 meeting and phone call with an unnamed Iranian official who acknowledged continued monthly consultations between U.S. and Iranian representatives aimed at deporting Iranian nationals held in immigration detention. The official reportedly claimed responsibility for overseeing the deportation of up to 160 Iranians and stated that approximately 80% of those detained were recent arrivals. He also described a U.S. detention policy designed to pressure detainees into voluntary return or deportation to third countries, citing that some Iranian women were deported to the Central African Republic in mid-2026.

In addition to Mr. Mehri’s testimony, the legal filings include statements from 11 Iranian detainees alleging that Iranian agents interviewed them while they were in ICE custody, often revealing knowledge of sensitive personal information obtained from U.S. officials. One detainee recounted being told by an Iranian official that their entire case file, including detailed transcripts from U.S. immigration interviews, was in the official’s possession. These claims have not yet been reviewed by a judge.

The Iranian American Legal Defense Fund describes itself as a nonprofit providing pro bono immigration and asylum legal assistance to Iranians held by ICE. The organization argues that the sharing of confidential case information violates federal regulations and endangers detainees who face significant risk of persecution or torture if returned to Iran. Many of the detainees documented in the filings include Christian converts, women’s rights activists, LGBTQ individuals, and participants in the 2022 demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini.

The lawsuit further alleges that Iranian officials were granted access to detainees and made unsolicited visits to encourage repatriation, with some detainees reporting assurances that conditions inside Iran had changed. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has maintained that interactions with foreign government representatives are routine and intended to facilitate consular access, denying any wrongdoing. A State Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ongoing legal challenge seeks to halt any arrangements between the State Department and Iranian officials that lead to sharing information about detainees. A federal judge has yet to rule on the matter. The revelations add to broader concerns about the treatment of asylum seekers and the intersection of U.S. immigration policy with geopolitical tensions between Washington and Tehran.