Keeping the Pressure on ICE

Congress is legally required to inspect immigration detention centers — a fact that a federal court affirmed just last month — but members were denied access to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Minnesota.

This week, more than a dozen members of Congress returned to court to demand urgent actions restoring their right and duty to conduct oversight of ICE detention facilities. We are representing them in their lawsuit, along with Democracy Forward. We asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order stopping DHS and ICE from obstructing congressional access to immigration detention centers.

The number of individuals in ICE’s custody hit a record high this month. Last year, 32 people died in immigration detention. Oversight of these centers is crucial to stop the administration from hurting or killing more people, which is why we’re fighting for Congress’s ability to conduct real-time inspections of immigration detention centers.

We need to know more about ICE

After ICE agents murdered Alex Pretti last weekend, only weeks after Renée Good, the administration moved quickly to create a false narrative of what happened. As the Trump administration continues to send ICE into American cities — and officials lie about terrorizing, injuring, and killing protesters and detainees — the need for records about what officials are saying about these events behind closed doors is becoming even more urgent. 

We’ve filed dozens of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to learn more about ICE communications, coordination, and policies. Here’s a look at some of our recent requests:

• In the wake of Alex Pretti’s murder last week, we requested top DHS, ICE, and Customs and Border Patrol officials’ communications sent in the days after the killing. We also asked for records reflecting any guidance or directives immigration agents in Minnesota were given following Pretti’s death.
• After DHS defended an ICE agent’s killing of Renée Good and the Federal Bureau of Investigations took over the investigation, we requested related communications from the DHS, Justice Department, and White House.
• We need to know more about how ICE is recruiting its officers, especially since it lowered its minimum requirements. We requested the agency’s communications, budgets, and strategy documents regarding recruitment tactics.

Are Trump’s messages set to auto-delete?

Trump posted screenshots that suggest he is using a messaging app with auto-deleting capabilities to communicate with foreign leaders. We sent a letter raising these concerns to the White House Counsel and seeking confirmation that these messages are being properly preserved and maintained, as federal law requires.

“Given President Trump’s well-documented history of mishandling sensitive information and presidential records, the White House must assure the public that these communications are secure and being preserved and protected in full compliance with the law,” our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said. 

American Oversight in the news

• The Trump administration admits even more ways DOGE accessed sensitive personal data (NPR)
• ‘This is their legal obligation’: Lawmakers fight for oversight at ICE detention facilities (MS Now)

Other stories we’re following

• FBI searches Atlanta election office, chasing Trump 2020 vote fraud claims (Reuters)
• Spy Chief Tulsi Gabbard is hunting for 2020 election fraud (Wall Street Journal)
• House Republicans unveil election reform bill dubbed Make Elections Great Again Act (The Hill)