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LATEST FILINGS
- Council Files FOIA Request for Records of Possible Due Process Violations of Detainees at the Torrance Detention Facility
On December 21, the Council requested records from the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about the treatment of Haitian immigrants at the Torrance County Detention Facility (Torrance) in Estancia, New Mexico.
ICE has made it difficult for Haitian nationals detained at Torrance to access legal counsel and interpreters that would allow them to communicate in their native language with ICE officers and engage in the legal process. Additionally, reports indicate that Haitian nationals detained at Torrance have been subject to expedited case scheduling and received improper advisals from immigration judges.
The Council requested documents related to how the agencies decide the outcome of parole applications submitted by Haitian nationals housed at the Torrance Detention Facility. The Council also requested information about requests for legal assistance and data on individuals detained at Torrance who appeared in immigration court at the El Paso Service Processing Center.
Read more: Seeking Records About Possible Due Process Violations of Detainees at the Torrance Detention Facility
WHO WE'RE SUING (AND WHY)
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
On December 20, 2021, the Council filed a lawsuit seeking records from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about CBP One, an app developed by the agency to collect information from people who interact with CBP, including asylum seekers at the southern border.
The information that CBP has provided about the use of the app is limited and scattered. Because certain features of the app require access to users’ GPS location and utilize facial recognition technology, this lawsuit seeks to uncover records about the app’s development and clarity about CBP’s plans for future uses.
Read More: Council Sues CBP To Obtain Records About CBP One
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
As part of the implementation of the Biden administration’s new immigration enforcement priorities at the beginning of 2021, ICE officers were required to provide written justifications when they sought to arrest individuals who did not meet the new guidelines.
In September 2021, the Council, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), and Mijente Support Committee submitted a FOIA request seeking copies of these pre-authorizations to arrest those individuals outside the enforcement priorities. These documents will shed light on how ICE interpreted these priorities and provide a glimpse as to how it would enforce the new similar priorities that took effect November 29. When ICE failed to respond to the request, the Council and its partners filed a lawsuit demanding the release of these critical records.
Read More: Council Sues ICE for Records on Enforcement Actions Against People Who Didn’t Meet Guidelines
The American Immigration Council works to hold the government accountable on immigration issues. We harness freedom of information requests, litigation, and advocacy to expose wrongdoing and promote transparency within immigration agencies.
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