June 2018 DHS OIG Report re ICE's Failure to Effectively Enforce Compliance w/ Detention Standards & Policy (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

To Whom It May Concern:

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

Please see the attached correspondence for a full description of the records requested. Briefly, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (“CLINIC”) submits this Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request (the “Request”) for specific records and information identified or discussed in the June 26, 2018, Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) Report, OIG-18-76, entitled: “ICE’s Inspections and Monitoring of Detention Facilities Do Not Lead to Sustained Compliance or Systemic Improvements” (the “Report”).

CLINIC seeks certain records that are identified in the Report and or implicated by its public release. As noted in the Report, at the end of fiscal year 2017, ICE held nearly 38,000 detainees in custody, with nearly 35,000 detainees in facilities that undergo the ICE inspections discussed in the Report.

As the recent flurry of immigration-detention-related events and widespread media coverage thereof demonstrate, there is an intense public interest in ensuring that the rights and dignity of immigrants are and remain protected in detention and elsewhere. Indeed, as has been widely reported, the Trump Administration’s public approval rating with respect to immigration policy “hit an all-time low” in June 2018—sitting at just 35 percent; a five-point drop from where it stood just one month prior—after the administration instituted its “zero-tolerance” policy by which families were and continue to be forcefully separated, with the children being detained in cramped detention facilities that have, at least once, been described as “cages.”

Release of the requested records is critical to ensure meaningful public access to and debate about how the Government apprehends and detains individuals when purportedly necessary. These records *will* contribute to the American public’s understanding of governmental policy and inform current and future public discussion about the legality and wisdom of the current administration’s ‘approach’ to immigration, as well as the resulting harm to individuals’ human right, our nation’s values, and our national security.

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,

Michael Edelman