NIJC's Transparency Project holds the U.S. government accountable for upholding the rights of immigrants by seeking information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) about the obscure U.S. immigration detention and enforcement systems.
FOIA requests currently pending include:
Immigration Jail Contracts
NIJC filed a lawsuit in federal court in June 2018 to obtain this information, after the government failed to respond to the original request filed in February 2018. This request seeks to update the collection of contracts obtained through NIJC's 2011-2015 FOIA litigation and ICE's December 2015 detention facility list.
Requesting the following records from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
1. A list of all facilities used by ICE to detain individuals in its custody, current as of the date of response to this request, including information about the facility's size, type of contract, demographics, and other information
2. The most current and complete contract modification or addendum between the facility and DHS, ICE or U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) for facilities for whose contracts not included or not fully provided through the NIJC's original FOIA request, and for facilities that have since newly gone into service (For the list of facilities, download a PDF of the full request.)
3. All complete subcontracts between state or local facilities that have contracts with DHS, ICE or USMS, and any private entities for the purpose of housing noncitizens in ICE custody
4. All complete contracts between DHS and private entities to house noncitizens in Contract Detention Facilities (CDFs), including all complete subcontracts to provide services for CDF facilities, including guard, food, phone, medical and transportation services
5. For ICE Service Processing Centers (SPCs), all complete contracts or subcontracts between DHS or ICE and any private entity to provide services including guard, food, phone, medical and transportation services
6. For the period January 2015 through the present, all bid solicitation requests issued by the DHS, ICE or any entity with authorization to solicit bids for the purposes of securing bed space to detain individuals in DHS custody
Read the original FOIA request and federal lawsuit complaint (PDF)
Immigration Jail Inspection Reports
NIJC filed a lawsuit in federal court in June 2018 to obtain this information, after the government failed to respond to the original request filed in February 2018. This request seeks to update the collection of inspections obtained through NIJC's 2011-2015 FOIA litigation.
Requesting the following records from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
1. A calendar of ICE Enforcement and Removal Office (ERO) inspections programmed for fiscal years (FY) 2016 through 2018
2. All inspections and reports, including attachments, work plans, Form G-324A, and any other materials generated pursuant to ERO inspections for all facilities housing more than 50 people in ICE custody for FY 2016 and FY 2017
3. All inspections and reports generated pursuant to Organizational Self-Review Assessments (ORSAs) for all facilities housing less than 50 noncitizens in ICE custody for FY 2016 and FY 2017
4. Any written documents or correspondence outlining the procedure by which a recommended rating for an ERO-inspected facility is reviewed and a final rating is subsequently generated
5. Any written documents or correspondence discussing the FY 207 ERO inspections and ratings, including the recommended rating following an ERO inspection and any final rating for four facilities whose final ratings had been pending for more than 100 days as of the filing of the FOIA (For the list of facilities, download a PDF of the full request.)
Read the original FOIA request and federal lawsuit complaint (PDF)
ICE Detention Bed Quota & Bond Determinations
Pending since July 2014
Requesting the following records from the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
1. any Records concerning the setting and calculation of bond amounts for detainees in ICE’s San Antonio and Seattle AORs from July 2, 2014 to the present, including but not limited to all communications (e.g., transmittals, letters, emails, memoranda, and reports, instructions, and summaries) related thereto
2. any Records dated between July 2, 2014 and the present which set out or reflect approved policies, guidelines, or procedures for maintaining and/or filling (i) a level of not less than 33,400 detention beds and/or (ii) a level of not less than 34,000 detention beds, including all communications (e.g., transmittals, letters, emails, memoranda, and reports, instructions, and summaries) related thereto (such as to, from, or within ICE headquarters, an ICE field office, or an ICE AOR)
3. any Records dated between July 2, 2014 and the present which set out or reflect an assessment of compliance with any statutory requirement for maintaining and/or
filling (i) a level of not less than 33,400 detention beds and/or (ii) a level of not less than 34,000 detention beds
4. any Records from July 2, 2014 through the present which set out or reflect approved policies, guidelines, or procedures for appraising the performance of ICE personnel,
Field Offices, or AORs related to maintaining and/or filling beds in detention facilities used to house ICE detainees
5. any Records from July 2, 2014 through the present which set out or reflect approved policies, guidelines, or procedures for requesting and/or setting and/or calculating
bond amounts for apprehended and/or detained individuals based on the presence of vacant beds in an ICE detention facility
View the most recent request, filed in February 2017 after ICE produced documents that were non-responsive to the original request (PDF)