National Immigration Project v. DHS: Reinstatement Statistics and Policies
NIPNLG and ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking records related to reinstatement of removal, a summary procedure through which immigration officers deport noncitizens who return to the U.S. after a previous deportation. After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to produce responsive records, NIPNLG and ACLU filed a FOIA lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. In response to the FOIA request and subsequent litigation, ICE released nearly nine thousand pages of responsive documents. They include a comprehensive manual on reinstatement law, government memoranda addressing custody for individuals in reasonable fear proceedings, and the administrative record in a petition for review challenging a reinstatement order, as well as USCIS and ICE training materials.