ICE Declares That Key Data It Holds Are “Unavailable”

 
 The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) today charged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of illegally preventing the public from obtaining information that would show what the government is doing and not doing to enforce federal immigration laws. The charge and supporting information were outlined in a letter from TRAC to the agency’s Freedom of Information director, Catrina M. Pavlik-Keenan. The letter noted that in violation of the FOIA law, ICE had ruled that anonymous statistical data which the agency formerly released — such as the city or state where an alien was arrested, the details of any criminal charges, and the facility where the alien is currently being detained — were now “unavailable.” Such a blanket ruling violates long-standing provisions of the FOIA, agency rules and the transparency policies and guidelines promulgated by President Obama and Attorney General Holder.

KJ