FOIA Filed As Part of Coordinated Campaign with 50 ACLU Affiliates
DENVER 2/2/17 — The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today with its local U.S. Customs and Border Protection office (CBP) to reveal how Trump administration officials are interpreting and executing the president’s immigration ban, and whether they are complying with orders from federal courts partially staying the ban’s implementation. The filing today is part of a coordinated effort from 50 ACLU affiliates, which filed FOIA requests with 18 CBP field offices and its headquarters spanning 55 international airports across the country.
“President Trump’s unconstitutional and un-American immigration ban has created chaos, confusion, and hardship across the country, and there are unanswered questions about how it is being implemented and whether court-issued stays on detention and deportation are being followed,” said ACLU of Colorado Legal Director Mark Silverstein. “The public has a right to know what guidance the agents are receiving and where exactly it is coming from.”
Media reports indicate that CBP officials detained and deported individuals, even after federal courts ordered officials to stop enforcing the executive order following court challenges from the ACLU and other organizations.
“It is imperative that the public learn if federal immigration officials are blatantly defying nationwide federal court orders that block President Trump’s unconstitutional immigration ban,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, Border Litigation Project Staff Attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “To shed light on this critical issue of pressing public concern, 50 ACLU affiliates are using the Freedom of Information Act to expose Customs and Border Protection’s abuse of power.”
The Trump administration has yet to inform the public of how many refugees, visa holders, and legal permanent residents have been affected by this action.
The ACLU of Colorado joined ACLU affiliates in Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Alaska to file a FOIA request with the US Customs and Border Protection office which covers points of entry in those states.
The FOIA request can be found here: http://static.aclu-co.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02-02-CBP-ACLU-of-CO.pdf