A coalition of organizations dedicated to government openness and accountability, human rights, civil rights, and immigrant rights is calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to comply with the legal obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and fully disclose information on immigration enforcement cooperation between federal and non-federal law enforcement agencies. We urge ICE to comply with the FOIA in a timely manner, and to permit the release of data on immigration enforcement cooperation in full compliance with local and state transparency laws.
The coalition is concerned that ICE has significantly reduced the amount of information it is releasing, while at the same time publishing incomplete and selective information in its weekly “Declined Detainer Outcome Reports.” These reports have been criticized for being used in a discriminatory manner to target undocumented communities and punish cities that the administration claims do not cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. Following the announcement that ICE is suspending the publication of these weekly reports, we are calling on ICE to disclose the full record on immigration cooperation in response to public FOIA requests.