RGV Sector UAC Communication

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov:443/foia/action/public/view/request?objectId=090004d280992bb3)
* Tracking Number: CBP-2016-001575
* Requester Name: Dave Hendricks
* Date Submitted: 10/09/2015
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

The FOIA request CBP-2016-001575 has had its Tracking Number changed to CBP-OBP-2016-001575. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Old Tracking Number:
CBP-2016-001575
* New Tracking Number:
CBP-OBP-2016-001575
* Requester Name:
Dave Hendricks
* Date Submitted:
10/09/2015
* Long Description:
To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

Mr. Hendricks,
In your FOIA request you said "I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014."
However, this portion of your request is insufficient. As you have failed to reasonably describe the records you are seeking, i.e, what emails you wish to have and the titles or names associated with the emails. Therefor, this portion of your request is not a perfected and we are unable to initiate a search for responsive records. FOIA is not a search mechanism.

The FOIA request CBP-OBP-2016-001575 has had its Tracking Number changed to CBP-2016-001575. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Old Tracking Number:
CBP-OBP-2016-001575
* New Tracking Number:
CBP-2016-001575
* Requester Name:
Dave Hendricks
* Date Submitted:
10/09/2015
* Long Description:
To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

The FOIA request CBP-2016-001575 has had its Tracking Number changed to CBP-OIT-2016-001575. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Old Tracking Number: CBP-2016-001575
* New Tracking Number: CBP-OIT-2016-001575
* Requester Name: Dave Hendricks
* Date Submitted: 10/09/2015
* Long Description: To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

The FOIA request CBP-OIT-2016-001575 has had its Tracking Number changed to CBP-2016-001575. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Old Tracking Number: CBP-OIT-2016-001575
* New Tracking Number: CBP-2016-001575
* Requester Name: Dave Hendricks
* Date Submitted: 10/09/2015
* Long Description: To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

After careful review of your FOIA request,  CBP-2016-001575, we have determined that your request is too broad in scope or did not specifically identify the records which you are seeking. FOIA is not a search mechanism.  Records must be described in reasonably sufficient detail to enable government employees who are familiar with the subject area to locate records without placing an unreasonable burden upon the agency.  For this reason, §5.3(b) of the DHS regulations, 6 C.F.R. Part 5, require that you describe the records you are seeking with as much information as possible to ensure that our search can locate them with a reasonable amount of effort.  Whenever possible, a request should include specific information about each record sought, such as the event that would have created the record, a date range for the request, and subject matter of the records. The FOIA does not require an agency to create new records, answer questions posed by requesters, or attempt to interpret a request that does not identify specific records.
Your request to conduct a search for all emails sent to Border Patrol Agents regarding UAC's, would place an unnecessary burden upon the agency, and far exceed the $25 fee limit in your request.  In order for such a search to be conducted, specific mailboxes woudl need to be identified.
This is not a denial of your request for records. Please resubmit your FOIA request, along with a more detailed description of the records being sought, by logging into your existing FOIAOnline account or creating an account at https://foiaonline.regulations.gov. (https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/)
You may contact a FOIA Public Liaison by sending an email via your FOIAonline account or call 202-325-0150.  Please notate file number CBP-2016-001575 on any future correspondence to CBP related to this request.  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.

Your request for Fee Waiver for the FOIA request CBP-2016-001575 has been fully granted. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Request Created on: 10/09/2015
* Fee Waiver Disposition Reason: N/A
* Request Long Description: To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

The FOIA request CBP-2016-001575 has had its Tracking Number changed to CBP-2016-001575. This is normally due to the request being transferred to another agency (for example, EPA to Dept. of Commerce) or to a sub-agency to process it. Additional details for this request are as follows:
* Old Tracking Number: CBP-2016-001575
* New Tracking Number: CBP-2016-001575
* Requester Name: Dave Hendricks
* Date Submitted: 07/07/2018
* Long Description: To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All emails, memos and letters about unaccompanied alien children ("UACs") disseminated to Rio Grande Valley Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents since Jan. 1, 2014. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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, Dave Hendricks

Please see the attached final response.