Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security
D.D.C., Civ. No. 24-cv-2100-RC
Court Documents
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On August 21, 2023, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights (Young Center) and Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) requested records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pertaining to the Young Adult Case Management Program (YACMP).
YACMP was designated by ICE as an “Alternative to Detention” program. It subjected some youth and families to monitoring during the pendency of their immigration proceedings. Young Center and ImmDef have worked closely with youth who have entered the United States unaccompanied and were automatically enrolled in YACMP. They have been concerned about the impact of the program on vulnerable youth and their families. Details related to YACMP, including details related to the criteria for referral and enrollment in YACMP, the monitoring that takes place pursuant to YACMP, the reporting obligations on the youth enrolled in the program, and the consequences for violating those obligations, have been unknown to the public and attorneys and other advocates for these youth.
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), federal agencies must notify requestors within 20 days of a request which records will be produced and then must promptly produce the records. Neither ICE nor DHS produced any of the requested records for nearly a year. Accordingly, on July 17, 2024, TPM filed a lawsuit on behalf of Young Center and ImmDef to enforce FOIA against DHS, ICE, and DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The lawsuit asks the federal court to order the agencies to produce the documents promptly.
After TPM filed this suit, the government started producing responsive records.
The government has now terminated YACMP. Young Center and ImmDef served another FOIA request to learn more about the reason for that termination. The government has not timely responded to that request either.
If you have any questions about the case, please contact Jaclyn Deitch at 202-204-8473 or jdeitch@tpmlaw.com.