The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, and Hoq Law filed a public records lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for wrongfully withholding documents related to ICE’s practice of releasing people from custody when their deaths are imminent.  

The ACLU SoCal filed a Freedom of Information Act request in April 2022 seeking these records after the media reported multiple incidents of ICE releasing people from custody on their deathbeds, allowing the agency to avoid reporting their deaths to the public, avoid investigation, and avoid medical costs for people in its custody. The FOIA request has gone unanswered for over 60 days.