ICE MOUs/MOAs (Houston Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Copies of any Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs), Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), memoranda of agreement or other liaison, information sharing or prisoner/detainee transfer agreements or delegations of authority with or involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed or otherwise put into effect between March 1, 2003 and the present. This includes but is not limited to any agreements entered into under or a result of Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the Internet Archive and MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.

As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Emma Best