ICE subpoenas immigration lawyer in leak hunt

Attorney Daniel Kowalski

Tal Kopan for the San Francisco Chronicle reports on an immigration story that seemingly could only happen in the era of Trump.  

The Trump administration has subpoenaed an immigration attorney in an attempt to determine who leaked an internal memo that laid out how Immigration and Customs Enforcement should implement Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to restrict asylum for victims of domestic violence and gang crimes. The attorney said he doesn’t intend to reveal his sources or any other information about how he obtained the memo.

The subpoena was sent to Colorado-based immigration attorney Daniel Kowalski, who is also the editor of Bender’s Immigration Bulletin. It demands that Kowalski hand over “all information” related to the memo he posted in July, including when, how and where he got it. The summons asks for “contact information for the source of the document.”

At issue is a July 11 memo written by the ICE principal legal adviser about Sessions’ decision to reinterpret asylum law in such a way as to deny relief to many victims of domestic and gang violence. The change could affect tens of thousands of asylum seekers.  

KJ