ACLU-DC Demands Records on Implementation 
of Trump’s Refugee and Immigration Ban
 
FOIA Filed As Part of Coordinated Campaign 
With 50 ACLU Affiliates

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
February 2, 2017
 
CONTACT: 
Ginny Simmons, 202-270-8488, media@acludc.org
 
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia and the national ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request today with the headquarters of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to learn how Trump administration officials are interpreting and executing the president’s unconstitutional immigration ban, including actions that may have been taken in violation of federal court orders staying the ban’s implementation. The filing today is part of a coordinated effort from 50 ACLU affiliates, which filed 18 FOIAs with CBP field offices and its headquarters spanning 55 international airports across the country. 
 
“The public has a right to know just how far the Trump administration has gone in upending the lives of American citizens, green-card holders, asylum-seekers, and other lawful immigrants who have already been extensively screened,” said Monica Hopkins-Maxwell, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia. “The President’s order betrays fundamental American values of fairness, decency, and openness to refugees fleeing persecution.”
 
Media reports indicate that CBP officials detained and deported individuals, even after several federal courts ordered officials to stop enforcing the Trump executive order in cases filed by the ACLU and other organizations. 
 
“It is imperative that the public learn if federal immigration officials are blatantly defying nationwide federal court orders that discontinue 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 unlawful action. 
 
The FOIA filings can be found here.