Case: American Oversight v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

1:25-cv-01987 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: June 26, 2025

Case Ongoing

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Case Summary

This is a case about government transparency concerning immigration enforcement records. On June 26, 2025, American Oversight filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The complaint alleged that the plaintiff submitted a FOIA request to ICE on April 10, 2025, seeking documents including internal emails, policy memoranda, enforcement statistics, and communications …

This is a case about government transparency concerning immigration enforcement records.

On June 26, 2025, American Oversight filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The complaint alleged that the plaintiff submitted a FOIA request to ICE on April 10, 2025, seeking documents including internal emails, policy memoranda, enforcement statistics, and communications regarding immigration enforcement priorities and policy changes. Plaintiff claimed that ICE unlawfully withheld agency records and failed to comply with FOIA’s statutory deadlines. Despite FOIA’s requirement that agencies respond within 20 business days, ICE had neither made a determination on the request nor produced any responsive records by the filing date.

The complaint further asserted that ICE failed to provide adequate justification or claim any applicable exemptions to withhold the requested information, thus violating FOIA’s transparency and disclosure mandates. The plaintiff also alleged that ICE had communicated internally about enforcement tactics and policy shifts without public disclosure, raising concerns about lack of accountability and oversight in immigration enforcement practices. Additionally, the complaint noted that the delay in processing the FOIA request hindered the public’s ability to understand and assess ICE’s actions during a period of heightened immigration enforcement.

Represented by private counsel, the plaintiff sought expedited processing and disclosure of records related to ICE’s enforcement policies, internal communications, and decision-making, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. Judge Rudolph Contreras was assigned to the case.

This case is ongoing.

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Summary Authors

Victoria Tan (7/11/2025)

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70639767/parties/american-oversight-v-us-immigration-customs-enforcement/

Judge(s)

Contreras, Rudolph (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Lewis, Emma (District of Columbia)

Martinez, Daniel Havlir (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Escher, Sam (District of Columbia)

Judge(s)

Contreras, Rudolph (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Lewis, Emma (District of Columbia)

Martinez, Daniel Havlir (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Escher, Sam (District of Columbia)

Attorney Contact Information via CourtListener

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

	Document
1 1:25-cv-01987	Complaint	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025 Complaint

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Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70639767/american-oversight-v-us-immigration-customs-enforcement/

Last updated June 4, 2026, 4:54 a.m.

ECF Number	Description	Date	Link Date / Link
1	COMPLAINT against U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-11777620) filed by AMERICAN OVERSIGHT. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons USAO, # 3 Summons AG, # 4 Summons ICE)(Lewis, Emma) (Entered: 06/26/2025) 1 Civil Cover Sheet View on RECAP 2 Summons USAO View on PACER 3 Summons AG View on PACER 4 Summons ICE View on PACER	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025 Clearinghouse
2	LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by AMERICAN OVERSIGHT (Lewis, Emma) (Entered: 06/26/2025)	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025 RECAP
3	NOTICE of Appearance by Daniel Havlir Martinez on behalf of AMERICAN OVERSIGHT (Martinez, Daniel) (Entered: 06/26/2025)	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025
4	SUMMONS (3) Issued Electronically as to U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zmtm) (Entered: 06/26/2025)	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025
	Case Assigned/Reassigned	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025
	Case Assigned to Judge Rudolph Contreras. (zmtm)	June 26, 2025	June 26, 2025
5	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT served on 7/1/2025 (Attachments: # 1 Declaration)(Martinez, Daniel) (Entered: 07/09/2025)	July 9, 2025	July 9, 2025
6	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 6/26/2025. ( Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 7/26/2025.), RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 7/3/2025. (See Docket Entry 5 to view document). (znmw) Modified on 7/9/2025 (znmw). (Entered: 07/09/2025)	July 9, 2025	July 9, 2025
	Summons Returned Executed as to U.S. Attorney General AND Summons Returned Executed in FOIA case as to U.S. Attorney	July 9, 2025	July 9, 2025
7	Consent MOTION for Extension of Time to Respond to Complaint by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Escher, Sam) (Entered: 07/25/2025)	July 25, 2025	July 25, 2025
	Order on Motion for Extension of Time to	July 28, 2025	July 28, 2025
	MINUTE ORDER granting 7 Motion for Extension of Time: It is hereby ORDERED that Defendant shall respond to the Complaint on or before August 25, 2025. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 07/28/2025. (lcrc2)	July 28, 2025	July 28, 2025
	Set/Reset Deadlines	July 29, 2025	July 29, 2025
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Answer due by 8/25/2025. (tj)	July 29, 2025	July 29, 2025
8	ANSWER to Complaint by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT.(Escher, Sam) (Entered: 08/25/2025)	Aug. 25, 2025	Aug. 25, 2025
	Set/Reset Deadlines	Aug. 25, 2025	Aug. 25, 2025
	.Order	Aug. 25, 2025	Aug. 25, 2025
	MINUTE ORDER: It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall meet, confer, and jointly submit a proposed briefing schedule on or before September 8, 2025. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 08/25/2025. (lcrc2)	Aug. 25, 2025	Aug. 25, 2025
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Proposed Briefing Schedule due by 9/8/2025 (tj)	Aug. 25, 2025	Aug. 25, 2025
9	Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. (Escher, Sam) (Entered: 09/08/2025)	Sept. 8, 2025	Sept. 8, 2025 RECAP
	.Order	Sept. 8, 2025	Sept. 8, 2025
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 9 the parties' Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall meet, confer, and submit a Joint Status Report by October 8, 2025. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 9/8/2025. (lcrc2)	Sept. 8, 2025	Sept. 8, 2025
10	STATUS REPORT by AMERICAN OVERSIGHT. (Martinez, Daniel) (Entered: 10/08/2025)	Oct. 8, 2025	Oct. 8, 2025
	.Order	Oct. 8, 2025	Oct. 8, 2025
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 10 Plaintiff's Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a Joint Status Report on or before November 7, 2025. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 10/08/2025. (lcrc2)	Oct. 8, 2025	Oct. 8, 2025
11	STATUS REPORT by AMERICAN OVERSIGHT. (Martinez, Daniel) (Entered: 11/07/2025)	Nov. 7, 2025	Nov. 7, 2025
12	Consent MOTION for Extension of Time to File a Joint Status Report by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. (Attachments: # 1 Text of Proposed Order)(Escher, Sam) (Entered: 12/30/2025) 1 Text of Proposed Order View on PACER	Dec. 30, 2025	Dec. 30, 2025
	Order on Motion for Extension of Time to	Jan. 1, 2026	Jan. 1, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER granting 12 Motion for Extension of Time: It is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file a Joint Status Report on or before January 9, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 1/1/2026. (lcr2)	Jan. 1, 2026	Jan. 1, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines	Jan. 5, 2026	Jan. 5, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 1/9/2026 (tj)	Jan. 5, 2026	Jan. 5, 2026
13	Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. (Escher, Sam) (Entered: 01/09/2026)	Jan. 9, 2026	Jan. 9, 2026 RECAP
	Set/Reset Deadlines	Jan. 9, 2026	Jan. 9, 2026
	.Order	Jan. 9, 2026	Jan. 9, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 13 the parties' Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file another Joint Status Report on or before February 10, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 1/9/2026. (lcrc2)	Jan. 9, 2026	Jan. 9, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 2/10/2026 (tj)	Jan. 9, 2026	Jan. 9, 2026
14	Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. (Escher, Sam) (Entered: 02/10/2026)	Feb. 10, 2026	Feb. 10, 2026
	.Order	Feb. 10, 2026	Feb. 10, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 14 the parties' Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall file another Joint Status Report on or before March 10, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 2/10/2026. (lcrc2)	Feb. 10, 2026	Feb. 10, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 3/10/2026 (tj)	Feb. 11, 2026	Feb. 11, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines	Feb. 11, 2026	Feb. 11, 2026
15	Joint STATUS REPORT by U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. (Attachments: # 1 Clark Declaration, # 2 Plaintiff's Proposed Order)(Escher, Sam) (Entered: 03/10/2026) 1 Clark Declaration View on PACER 2 Plaintiff's Proposed Order View on PACER	March 10, 2026	March 10, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 15 the parties' Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall submit another Joint Status Report on or before April 9, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 3/16/2026. (lcrc2)	March 16, 2026	March 16, 2026
	.Order	March 16, 2026	March 16, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 4/9/2026 (tj)	March 17, 2026	March 17, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines	March 17, 2026	March 17, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 16 the parties' Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall submit another Joint Status Report on or before May 12, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 4/9/2026. (lcrc2)	April 9, 2026	April 9, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 5/12/2026 (tj)	April 14, 2026	April 14, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER: Upon consideration of 17 the parties' Joint Status Report, it is hereby ORDERED that the parties shall submit another Joint Status Report on or before July 9, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 5/12/2026. (lcrc2)	May 12, 2026	May 12, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Status Report due by 7/9/2026 (tj)	May 13, 2026	May 13, 2026

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Case Details

State / Territory:

District of Columbia

Case Type(s):

Immigration and/or the Border

Special Collection(s):

Trump Administration 1.0 & 2.0 FOIA cases

Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government

Immigration Enforcement

Key Dates

Filing Date: June 26, 2025

Case Ongoing: Yes

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

American Oversight, a nonprofit organization that focuses on government accountability and transparency through public records requests and investigations

Plaintiff Type(s):

Non-profit NON-religious organization

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

Federal

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Defendant Type(s):

Jurisdiction-wide

Case Details

Causes of Action:

FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. § 552

Other Dockets:

District of District of Columbia 1:25-cv-01987

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Trial Court Docket

Outcome

Prevailing Party: None Yet / None

Relief Granted:

None yet

Source of Relief:

None yet

Issues

General/Misc.:

Records Disclosure

Recommended Citation

Case Summary of American Oversight v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/46745/ (last updated 7/11/2025).