ACLU v. ICE, DHS, CBP and DOJ -- Mass Detention and Deportation FOIA
What's at Stake
Every year, ICE and other federal agencies spend billions of taxpayer dollars on a system to detain and deport immigrants. The people detained in this system face persistent medical neglect, abuse, and other violations. This system—and the harms it causes—could expand dramatically if a future presidential administration were to implement mass detention and deportations. We’ve sued to obtain information about how this system operates.
Summary
Summary
In order to learn more about ICE and other agencies’ infrastructure for detention and deportation, the ACLU submitted Freedom of Information Act requests asking the government to disclose:
- Records from ICE that show bed space available to ICE, including all currently operational or contracted ICE detention facilities
- Records from DHS regarding its policies for reassigning personnel from one DHS component to another
- Records from CBP regarding its ground transportation of noncitizens between detention centers and to airports for removal
- Legal memoranda from DHS and DOJ discussing the meaning of the “mass influx” provision of the immigration laws
As of October 2, 2024, when the ACLU filed this case, the government’s deadline to produce these records had passed without even a single record produced. The ACLU sued in federal court to force the government to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and provide the public with this important information.