[[link removed]][[link removed]]
NOTEWORTHY
*
Council
and
Partners
Recommend
Greater
Clarity
in
USCIS
FOIA
Request
Process
The
Council,
Immigrant
Legal
Resource
Center
(ILRC),
and
the
American
Immigration
Lawyers
Association
(AILA)
submitted
comments
in
response
to
USCIS’
proposed
changes
to
the
G-639
Form,
the
form
used
to
submit
FOIA
requests
to
U.S.
Citizenship
and
Immigration
Services
(USCIS)
by
mail,
and
Form
Instructions.


The
comments
suggest
the
agency
change
language
in
the
Instructions
that
heavily
promotes
FIRST,
USCIS’
online
FOIA
system.
Although
there
are
advantages
to
a
more
efficient
and
streamlined
process
for
submitting
FOIA
requests,
FIRST
is
still
a
relatively
new
program
and
USCIS
has
not
shared
assessments
or
data
explaining
its
efficiencies
in
detail.
Language
promoting
FIRST
should
not
be
the
focus
of
Instructions
for
the
Form
G-639—a
form
used
when
an
individual
chooses
not
to
use
FIRST,
but
instead
to
mail
a
request.
In
addition,
the
comments
suggest
that
USCIS
clarify
the
timeframes
for
responding
to
any
form
of
FOIA
are
the
same,
so
the
agency
must
respond
within
20
or
30
days
when
a
FOIA
request
is
submitted
in
any
format.
The
comments
also
suggest
that
the
field
“Country
of
Birth”
be
removed
from
the
Form
because
it
is
unnecessary
and
intrusive
for
the
purposes
of
filing
a
FOIA
request.


Read
More:
Providing
Recommendations
on
USCIS
FOIA
Request
Process
[[link removed]]


DOCUMENT DIVE
*
First
Look
at
Documents
Demonstrating
the
Development
and
Implementation
of
MPP


The
Council
recently
uncovered
additional
documents
that
describe
the
initial
implementation
of
the
Migrant
Protection
Protocols
(MPP),
also
known
as
the
Remain
in
Mexico
program.
The
documents
provide
insight
into
the
development
of
the
program
as
early
as
2017;
emails
displaying
a
desire
to
implement
the
program
at
a
“rapid
pace”
and
to
meet
quotas
for
returns
to
Mexico;
and
early
cost
estimates
for
the
program.


Read
more:
Finding
Records
About
the
Migrant
Protection
Protocols
Program
[[link removed]]


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