Family Separation Requests (Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO))
| Multi Request | Family Separation Requests |
| Submitted | Feb. 22, 2021 |
| Due | March 31, 2021 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Andrew Free
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
On behalf of my client, Al Otro Lado, I request:
All Significant Event Notifications or Significant Incident Reports created on or after January 20, 2017, regarding separation of children identified or suspected to be United States citizens or nationals from their parents who are identified or suspected to be non-citizens by officers or agents of the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, in all sectors along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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,
Andrew Free
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 22, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 22, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
May 17, 2021 Muckrock News DEPT. MR 91149 411A Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02144-2516 RE: ICE FOIA Case Number 2021-ICFO-35083 Dear MuckRock News: This acknowledges receipt of your February 22, 2021, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for all Significant Event Notifications or Significant Incident Reports created on or after January 20, 2017, regarding separation of children identified or suspected to be United States citizens or nationals from their parents who are identified or suspected to be non-citizens by officers or agents of the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, in all sectors along the U.S.-Mexico border. Your request was received in this office on May 17, 2021. 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. Provisions of the FOIA allow us to recover part of the cost of complying with your request. We shall charge you for records in accordance with the DHS Interim FOIA regulations, as they apply to media requesters. As a media requester, you will be charged 10 cents per page for duplication; the first 100 pages are free. We will construe the submission of your request as an agreement to pay up to $25.00. You will be contacted before any further fees are accrued. We have 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 2021-ICFO-35083. 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 2021-ICFO-35083 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
From: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
May 18, 2021 Muckrock News DEPT. MR 91149 411A Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02144-2516 RE: ICE FOIA Case Number 2021-ICFO-35083 Dear DEPT. MR 91149: This acknowledges receipt of your February 22, 2021, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for all Significant Event Notifications or Significant Incident Reports created on or after January 20, 2017, regarding separation of children identified or suspected to be United States citizens or nationals from their parents who are identified or suspected to be non-citizens by officers or agents of the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, in all sectors along the U.S.-Mexico border. Your request was received in this office on May 17, 2021. 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. Provisions of the FOIA allow us to recover part of the cost of complying with your request. We shall charge you for records in accordance with the DHS Interim FOIA regulations, as they apply to media requesters. As a media requester, you will be charged 10 cents per page for duplication; the first 100 pages are free. We will construe the submission of your request as an agreement to pay up to $25.00. You will be contacted before any further fees are accrued. We have 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 2021-ICFO-35083. 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 2021-ICFO-35083 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
From: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
Dear Requestor,
Please complete the attached Form to enable the ICE Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office to respond to your request for information. When submitting, please clarify the records you are seeking.
Did you know... that some records (such as entry/exit records, apprehensions at the border or point of entry, and travel records) to include I-94 records<https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home>, are only available from Customs and Border Protection<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.cbp.gov/site-policy-notices/foia/faq-foia__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nlZy04as$> (CBP)? - please contact them directly (see CBP FOIA<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.cbp.gov/site-policy-notices/foia/records__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422ngEU-7AE$> and/or I-94 records<https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home>); for A-file<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/files__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nCK0dV6Q$> (Alien file) requests, or records regarding applications/petitions for relief, benefits<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.uscis.gov/laws/immigration-benefits-eoir-removal-proceedings__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nrumFveQ$>, Asylees<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/asylum/benefits-and-responsibilities-asylees__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nSAQzBfM$>, credible fear<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.uscis.gov/faq-page/credible-fear-faq__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422n82B2cWk$> and removal orders (these records reside in the A-file) please contact USCIS<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.uscis.gov/about-us/freedom-information-and-privacy-act-foia/uscis-freedom-information-act-and-privacy-act__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nczvAzrE$>: go to USCIS FOIA<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.uscis.gov/about-us/freedom-information-and-privacy-act-foia/how-file-foia-privacy-act-request/how-file-foiapa-request__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nNsbZ0EM$> for more information. For visa records, go to US DOS<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/foia.state.gov/Request/Visa.aspx__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nUXAArko$> and Travel.State.Gov<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/family-immigration/family-based-immigrant-visas.html__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nK_RqZ7I$> for assistance. For information regarding immigration court proceedings, contact the local Office of Chief Counsel<https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/www.ice.gov/contact/legal__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!XbKTOzChiHbDbU7mU7n4T2X8teqRmzFYWvEPbtsq4PUVrI1sVhmNaZ2M422nYzf3Zx8$> (OCC).
Thank you,
ICE FOIA Office
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Freedom of Information Act Office
500 12th Street, S.W., Stop 5009
Washington, D.C. 20536-5009
-
~WRD0001
From: Andrew Free
This request is inappropriate and violates your regulations. I am not seeking exempt information regarding an individual, and any individuals' information can and should be redacted under Exemptions 6 and 7(c).
Please submit this response to your direct supervisor and to the head of the FOIA office, as it will serve as part of the record for a pattern and practice of arbitrary and capricious denial by delay that runs rampant in your office.
You are breaking the law.
Please stop.
Please construe this request consistent with your statutory obligations, promptly task an adequate search, reasonably segregate all exempt information, and release all responsive records without further delay.
Or prepare to explain to a federal court why you cannot.
From: Andrew Free
This request is inappropriate and violates your regulations. I am not seeking exempt information regarding an individual, and any individuals' information can and should be redacted under Exemptions 6 and 7(c).
Please submit this response to your direct supervisor and to the head of the FOIA office, as it will serve as part of the record for a pattern and practice of arbitrary and capricious denial by delay that runs rampant in your office.
You are breaking the law.
Please stop.
Please construe this request consistent with your statutory obligations, promptly task an adequate search, reasonably segregate all exempt information, and release all responsive records without further delay.
Or prepare to explain to a federal court why you cannot.
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