FOIA Filed As Part of Coordinated Campaign With 50 ACLU Affiliates
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming filed a Freedom of Information Act request today with its local U.S. Customs and Border Protection office to expose how Trump administration officials are interpreting and executing the president’s Muslim ban, acting in violation of federal courts that ordered a stay on 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 over 55 international airports across the country.
“Wyoming citizens have the right to know to what extent President Trump’s executive orders have affected our state, as well as our country,” said Sabrina King, Policy Director for the ACLU of Wyoming. “We are proud to join affiliates around the country in requesting information that will help the public understand exactly how far reaching the effects of these orders has been.”
Media reports indicate that CBP officials detained and deported individuals, even after federal courts ordered officials to stop enforcing the executive order following a court challenge from the ACLU and other organizations.
“It is imperative that the public learn if federal immigration officials are blatantly defying nationwide federal court orders that block President Trump’s unconstitutional Muslim 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 action.
The following ACLU affiliates participated in this coordinated FOIA filing:
The Wyoming local CBP FOIA request, submitted along with Colorado, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon, is here: http://static.aclu-co.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-02-02-CBP-ACLU-of-CO.pdf
The ACLU national FOIA request can be found here: https://www.aclu.org/cbp-foia-filing-trump-immigration-ban
The ACLU national release is available here: https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-files-demands-documents-implementation-trumps-immigration-ban