April 3, 2018
IRLI sues ICE for records on illegal alien detainer requests, repeat offenders
WASHINGTON—The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, filed suit yesterday against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seeking records related to the number of detainers issued by federal immigration officers that have not been honored by local law enforcement. IRLI attorneys filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as ICE has failed to produce the requested records pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Through a detainer request, federal officials ask that local officers hold illegal aliens who have been jailed for crimes for an additional 48 hours past when they are otherwise eligible for release so that ICE may take custody of them in a controlled environment. IRLI’s suit is seeking all records on ICE detainers placed on illegal aliens arrested on criminal charges in all 50 states, including Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, in which law enforcement agencies did not honor the detainer requests and released the aliens. It also seeks records where law enforcement agencies released illegal aliens from custody, and the aliens were subsequently arrested again on other criminal charges.
“The American people have been kept in the dark when it comes to data on how many ICE detainers are being ignored by local law enforcement,” said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. “As we have recently seen in California, politicians with open borders agendas are actively thwarting federal immigration enforcement efforts. This keeps dangerous criminals in communities and puts citizens at risk. People need to know the pervasiveness of this obstruction.”
The case is FAIR v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, No. 18-741 (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia).
For additional information, contact: Brian Lonergan • 202-232-5590 • [email protected]
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