Ideological Screening at the Border
Documents released in our FOIA lawsuit for records on the "extreme vetting" program
This Reading Room contains all of the documents produced to date in Knight Institute v. DHS, a FOIA lawsuit the Knight Institute filed on October 4, 2017, seeking records on how the Trump administration is implementing the president’s call for an “extreme vetting program."
Our FOIA lawsuit sought records from the agencies charged with developing the program: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of State (DOS). We requested documents concerning the program and the government’s asserted power to exclude individuals on the basis of their speech, beliefs, or associations.
In response, the agencies released over 300 documents, many heavily redacted, and hardly any referencing the extreme vetting program itself.
How to use this Reading Room: The collection below can be searched by keyword, or filtered using the criteria in the left-hand column. In addition, any search can be filtered for “Key Documents,” which are the documents that Knight Institute staff have flagged as the most significant disclosed.
Showing 31–40 of 341
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Emails between ICE officials re: NSLS High-Interest Cases
Email chain providing background, current, and next steps regarding the current high-interest cases in the National Security Law Section (NSLS), which is almost entirely withheld.
3/7/2018
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Emails between ICE officials re: Non TIII T&T Funding Request
Email chain discussing securing funding for translation and transcription services in an "endorse/espouse case."
3/22/2019
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Emails between ICE officials re: Non TIII T&T Funding Request
Email chain discussing securing funding for translation and transcription services in an "endorse/espouse case."
3/7/2018
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Emails between ICE officials re: Non TIII T&T Funding Request
Email chain discussing securing funding for translation and transcription services in an "endorse/espouse case."
3/7/2018
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Emails between ICE officials re: Non TIII T&T Funding Request
Email chain discussing securing funding for translation and transcription services in an "endorse/espouse case."
3/7/2018
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Emails between Adam V. Loiacano | Deputy Legal Advisor for Enforcement & Litig. | DHS – ICE to [redacted] | Assoc. Gen/ Counsel, Immigr. | DHS – Office of Gen. Counsel re: Endorse or Espouse
Email exchange referencing an unspecified "case summary."
4/30/2018
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Emails between ICE officials re: Language Availability RFI
Email chain discussing the need for translation services and additional funding to cover the expense in preparation for an October 2017 hearing.
3/7/2018
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Emails between ICE officials re: Language Availability RFI
Email chain discussing the need for translation services and additional funding to cover the expense in preparation for an October 2017 hearing.
3/22/2019
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ICE Notes: HSILD All-Hands Meeting 8/17/2017
Notes from an all-hands meeting of the Homeland Security Investigations Law Division (HSILD). The notes are entirely withheld.
3/7/2018
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ICE Notes: HSILD All-Hands Meeting 8/17/2017
Notes from an all-hands meeting of the Homeland Security Investigations Law Division (HSILD) discussing DHS enforcement priorities, executive order implementation, OPLA management, training, staffing, and other miscellaneous goals.
3/22/2019