American Foreign Fighters in Syria (Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ice), Homeland Security Investigations (hsi), Columbus And Detroit)

Submitted on Sunday, August 2, 2020 - 00:08
Submitted by user: Anonymous
Submitted values are:

Select the DHS component you wish to submit your request to: : U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Title:
First Name: Matthew
Middle Initial:
Last Name: Petti
Suffix:
Email Address: requests@muckrock.com
Country: United States
Address 1: MuckRock News DEPT MR 99279
Address 2: 411A Highland Ave
City: Somerville
State: Massachusetts
Zip Code: 02144
Telephone Number: 617-299-1832
Fax Number:
Are you requesting records on yourself? No
If yes, you must check the perjury statement:
By initialing here you are providing your electronic signature.:
Please describe the records you are seeking as clearly and precisely as
possible:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following
records:

DHS; IIR 4 006 0551 15; 17 MAR 2015; DOI: 01 JAN 2015-9 FEB 2015; “ICE—
Former U.S. Army Scout Traveled to Iraq to Fight Kurdish Forces Against
ISIL”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0446 15; 25 FEB 2015; DOI 07 JAN 2015-22 JAN 2015;
“ICE—U.S. Citizens Travel to Iraq to Join Kurdish Forces in ISIL
Fight”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0622 15; 02 APR 2015; DOI 14 MAR 2015; “ICE—Iraqi Kurdish
Peshmerga Recruiting Online Through Facebook and New Website”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0423 15; 02 FEB 2015; 12 JAN 2015; “ICE: Travel of a U.S.
citizen to Iraq to Join Kurdish Forces in ISIL Fight”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0482 15; 25 FEB 2015; DOI 29 JAN 2015; “ICE: TERRORISM
WATCHLIST—Travel of Two U.S. Citizens to Join Kurdish Forces and Fight ISIL
in Iraq”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0289 15; 25 FEB 2015: DOI 08 DEC 2014; “ICE: TERRORISM
WATCHLIST—Third U.S. Citizen Recruited via Social Media to Travel to Iraq
to Join Kurdish Forces Fighting ISIL”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0469 15; 25 FEB 2015; DOI 15 JAN 2015-16 JAN 2015;
“ICE—U.S. Citizens Traveling to Provide Humanitarian Aid to the Kurdish
People in Iraq”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0474 15; 24 FEB 2015; DOI 24 JAN 2015; “ICE: TERRORISM
WATCHLIST—Return of U.S. Citizen Attempting to Fight ISIL in Iraq”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0548 15; 16 MAR 2015; DOI 05 MAR 2015; “ICE—Former U.S.
Soldier Attempting to Acquire Military Equipment for Yekineyen Parastina
Gel”;
DHS; IIR 4 006 0423 15; 02 FEB 2015; DOI 12 JAN 2015; “ICE: Travel of a
U.S. citizen to Iraq to Join Kurdish Forces in ISIL Fight”; and
DHS; IIR 4 006 0551 15; 17 MAR 2015; DOI 01 JAN 2015-9 FEB 2015; “ICE—
Former U.S. Army Scout Traveled to Iraq to Fight Kurdish Forces Against
ISIL”.

All of these documents are cited in the footnotes of the DHS Office of
Intelligence and Analysis Field Analysis Report, "Ohioans Traveling to Syria
and Iraq to Fight Against ISIL," attached to this request as a PDF file.

If any part of these documents are exempt from disclosure, please release all
reasonably segregable nonexempt portions of responsive documents, as the FOIA
requires.

I request that I be properly classified as a news media requester. I am a
reporter for the National Interest, and I am requesting this information in
that editorial capacity.

The National Interest is widely recognized for its reporting, publishing
regular features on issues of public interest and importance. In addition, I
have covered areas related to this request, and plan to use my editorial
skills to analyze and produce original reporting work for millions of monthly
readers at NationalInterest.org.

If you have any questions about my media status, please contact me.

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 20 business days,
as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Matthew Petti

Attachments:

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I am willing to pay fees for this request up to the amount of: $: 25
Select from the list below: A representative of the news media seeking
information as part of a news gathering effort and not for commercial use.
I request a waiver of all fees for this request.: I request a waiver of all
fees for this request.
Please provide an explanation for your request for a fee waiver:
I request that I be properly classified as a news media requester. I am a
reporter for the National Interest, and I am requesting this information in
that editorial capacity.

The National Interest is widely recognized for its reporting, publishing
regular features on issues of public interest and importance. In addition, I
have covered areas related to this request, and plan to use my editorial
skills to analyze and produce original reporting work for millions of monthly
readers at NationalInterest.org.

If you have any questions about my media status, please contact me.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and
this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
Please select and describe in detail if you believe your request warrants
expeditious handling:
Please provide information to support your selection:

August 5, 2020 Matthew Petti MuckRock News MuckRock News DEPT MR 99279 411A Highland Ave Somerville, MA 02144 RE:     ICE FOIA Case Number 2020-ICFO-72548 Dear Mr. Petti: This acknowledges receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), dated August 2, 2020, and to your request for a waiver of all assessable FOIA fees. Your request was received in this office on August 2, 2020. Specifically, you requested specific reports cited in the footnotes of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis Field Analysis Report, "Ohioans Traveling to Syria and Iraq to Fight Against ISIL" (see request for details). Due to the increasing number of FOIA requests received by this office, we may encounter some delay in processing your request. Per Section 5.5(a) of the DHS FOIA regulations, 6 C.F.R. Part 5, ICE processes FOIA requests according to their order of receipt. Although ICE’s goal is to respond within 20 business days of receipt of your request, the FOIA does permit a 10- day extension of this time period. As your request seeks numerous documents that will necessitate a thorough and wide-ranging search, ICE will invoke a 10-day extension for your request, as allowed by Title 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B). If you care to narrow the scope of your request, please contact our office. We will make every effort to comply with your request in a timely manner. ICE evaluates fee waiver requests under the legal standard set forth above and the fee waiver policy guidance issued by the Department of Justice on April 2, 1987, as incorporated into the Department of Homeland Security’s Freedom of Information Act regulations [1] .  These regulations set forth six factors to examine in determining whether the applicable legal standard for fee waiver has been met.  I have considered the following factors in my evaluation of your request for a fee waiver: (1) Whether the subject of the requested records concerns “the operations or activities of the government”; (2) Whether the disclosure is “likely to contribute” to an understanding of government operations or activities; (3) Whether disclosure of the requested information will contribute to the understanding of the public at large, as opposed to the individual understanding of the requestor or a narrow segment of interested persons; (4) Whether the contribution to public understanding of government operations or activities will be "significant"; (5) Whether the requester has a commercial interest that would be furthered by the requested disclosure; and (6) Whether the magnitude of any identified commercial interest to the requestor is sufficiently large in comparison with the public interest in disclosure, that disclosure is primarily in the commercial interest of the requestor. Upon review of your request and a careful consideration of the factors listed above, I have determined to grant your request for a fee waiver. ICE has queried the appropriate program offices within ICE for responsive records. If any responsive records are located, they will be reviewed for determination of releasability. Please be assured that one of the processors in our office will respond to your request as expeditiously as possible. We appreciate your patience as we proceed with your request.
Your request has been assigned reference number 2020-ICFO-72548. Please refer to this identifier in any future correspondence. To check the status of an ICE FOIA/PA request, please visit . Please note that to check the status of a request, you must enter the 2020-ICFO-72548 tracking number. If you need any further assistance or would like to discuss any aspect of your request, please contact the FOIA office. You may send an e-mail to ice-foia@ice.dhs.gov, call toll free (866) 633-1182, or you may contact our FOIA Public Liaison, Fernando Pineiro, in the same manner. Additionally, you have a right to right to seek dispute resolution services from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) which mediates disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation. If you are requesting access to your own records (which is considered a Privacy Act request), you should know that OGIS does not have the authority to handle requests made under the Privacy Act of 1974. You may contact OGIS as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at 202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. (http://www.dhs.gov/foia-status) http://www.dhs.gov/foia-status
Regards,

ICE FOIA Office
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Freedom of Information Act Office
500 12th Street, S.W., Stop 5009
Washington, D.C. 20536-5009
Telephone: 1-866-633-1182
Visit our FOIA website at www.ice.gov/foia
[1] 6 CFR § 5.11(k).

Mr. Petti,

ICE's final response to your FOIA request, 2020-ICFO-72548, for specific reports cited in the footnotes of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis Field Analysis Report, "Ohioans Traveling to Syria and Iraq to Fight Against ISIL" (see request for details) is attached.

Please note that the attachment may be password protected. If you are prompted to enter a password when opening the attachment and you did not receive a password it may be in your junk/spam folder.

Sincerely,
ICE FOIA