Featured Issue: Representing Clients Before ICE
This resource page combines resources for attorneys representing clients before ICE. For information about why AILA is calling for the reduction and phasing out of immigration detention, please see our Featured Issue Page: Immigration Detention and Alternatives to Detention.
Quick Links
- Seeking Stays of Removal
- AILA Practice Pointers and Alerts (continually updated)
- Practice Advisory: Representing Detained Clients in the Virtual Landscape
- Practice Pointer: How to Locate Clients Apprehended by ICE
- Practice Pointer: Preparing for an Order of Supervision Appointment with ICE-ERO
- AILA ICE Liaison Agenda and Meeting Minutes
Communicating with OPLA, ERO, and CROs
The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) includes 1300 attorneys who represent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in immigration removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). OPLA litigates all removal cases as well as provides legal counsel to ICE personnel. At present, there are 25 field locations throughout the United States.
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) manages all aspects of immigration enforcement from arrest, detention, and removal. ERO has 24 field office locations. ERO also manages an “alternative to detention” program that relies almost exclusively on the “Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP)” to monitor individuals in removal proceedings.
Since 2016, ICE has had an Office of Partnership and Engagement (formerly Office of Community Engagement) to be a link between the agency and stakeholders. As part of this office, Community Relations Officers (CROS) are assigned to every field office to work with local stakeholders such as attorneys and nonprofit organizations.
*Headquarters does not provide direct contact numbers or emails for individual employees.* (AILA Liaison Meeting with ICE on April 26, 2023)(AILA Doc. No. 23033004). However, attorneys can contact Chapter Local ICE Liaisons as they may have this information provided to them via local liaison engagement.
- DHS/ICE/OPLA Chief Counsel Contact Information [last updated in 2024, this list no longer appears on ICE.gov as of 1/27/25]
- Contact Information for Local OPLA Offices [last updated in 2024, this information no longer appears on ICE.gov as of 1/27/25]
- ERO Field Offices Contact Information*
- OPE Community Relations Officers
- ICE Check-In Scheduling Website
- ICE Online Change of Address Website
Latest on Enforcement Priorities & Prosecutorial Discretion
Executive Order 14159 (90 FR 8443, 1/29/25) directs DHS to set priorities that protect the public safety and national security interests of the American people, including by ensuring the successful enforcement of final orders of removal, enforcement of the INA and other Federal laws related to the illegal entry and unlawful presence of [noncitizens] in the United States and the enforcement of the purposes of this order. Given the January 25, 2025, confirmation of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a memorandum detailing enforcement priorities may be issued in the coming weeks.
An unpublished ICE memo from acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello entitled “Interim Guidance: Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions in or near Courthouses” makes reference to targeted noncitizens and includes:
- National security or public safety threats;
- Those with criminal convictions;
- Gang members;
- Those who have been ordered removed from the United States but have failed to depart; and/or
- Those who have re-entered the country illegally after being removed.
Procedures and email inboxes created under the Biden Administration to request Prosecutorial Discretion no longer appear on the ICE website. AILA members are encouraged to review current DOJ regulations entitled “Efficient Case and Docket Management in Immigration Proceedings” for alternative basis for seeking termination or administrative closure.
Access to Counsel
- ERO eFile:
- An online system developed to electronically file G-28s with ERO. Attorneys and accredited representatives may register for ERO eFile accounts and may also sponsor law students and law graduates who work under their supervision. See AILA’s practice alert (AILA Doc. No. 24051506) for more information.
- ICE Attorney Information and Resources Page
- AILA Practice Alert: Updates to the ICE Attorney Information and Resource Page
Filing Administrative Complaints on Behalf of Detained and Formerly Detained Clients
- Online Intake Form for the Detention Ombudsman (myOIDO)
- Available for complaints for issues in ICE and CBP Custody nationwide, including to submit complaints about access to counsel problems on behalf of currently or previously detained clients.
- Online Complaint Form for DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL)
- Oversight of Immigration Detention: An Overview - May 16, 2022
(provides a list of agencies with which attorneys may file administrative complaints of detention center violations) - Immigration Judge Complaint Toolkit – August 31, 2022
- Practice Alert: Template for CRCL Complaint Regarding Failures to Provide Language Access – July 16, 2021
Selected ICE Policies and Current Status
For comprehensive comparison of current and prior ICE policies, please review the “Immigration Policy Tracker (IPTP).” The IPTP is a project of Professor Lucas Guttentag working with teams of Stanford and Yale law students and leading national immigration experts.
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Browse the Featured Issue: Representing Clients Before ICE collection
CA1 Finds No Well-Founded Fear in Haitian Asylum Claim
The court found that past threats and violence did not rise to the level of persecution, and considered several return trips to Haiti, the continued safety of family, and changed political conditions in finding no well-founded fear. (Ravix v. Mukasey, 1/12/09)
TRAC Report on Immigration Prosecutions
A Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) report reveals that an unusually large surge in immigration prosecutions in the last months of FY2008 resulted in the annual count of such filings more than quadrupling during the Bush Administration.
DHS OIG Report on Removal of Parents of U.S. Citizen Children
On 2/13/09 the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report that addresses the number of instances over the past 10 years in which a foreign national parent of a U.S. citizen child was removed from the country.
ICE Report of Investigation into the Death of Detainee
On 01/12/09, the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility issued a report of investigation surrounding the death of DRO detainee Hui Lui Ng during his detention at the Donald Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Fall, Rhode Island.
AILF Responds to Attorney General's Decision in Matter of Compean
AILF condems the Attorney General's decision in Matter of Compean-Bangaly & J-E-C, which declared that, immigrants, asylum seekers, and all others in removal proceedings do not have the right to representation by a lawyer before they can be ordered deported.
USCIS Releases Supplemental Q & As on Religious Worker Final Rule
On 1/5/09 USCIS released supplemental Q & As on the special immigrant and nonimmigrant religious worker visa categories final rule published 11/26/08 (73 FR 72298).
EOIR Correction to Final Rule on Professional Conduct for Practitioners
EOIR published a correction to a final rule (73 FR 76914, 12/18/08) on professional conduct for practitioners who appear before EOIR. (74 FR 201, 1/5/09)
Immigration Law Advisor, December 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 12)
Immigration Law Advisor with an article on new developments on TRIG exemptions, federal court activity for November 2008, article on the top 20 federal immigration decisions of 2008, and legislative and regulatory updates.
Motion to Dismiss Indictment and Suppress Evidence of Prior Removal
Sample motion to dismiss the indictment for reentry following removal under INA §276 on grounds that the order was fundamentally unfair, Defendant was denied meaningful judicial review, and Defendant exhausted his administrative remedies. (January 2009)
Reforming Our Immigration Detention System and Promoting Access to Counsel
This report from the Constitution Project examines expedited removal, mandatory pre-removal detention, and post-removal detention and suggests much-needed agency-level and congressional reforms.
BIA Reopens Proceedings for Ethiopian Asylum Seeker
In an unpublished decision, the BIA held that material evidence of changed country conditions demonstrated prima facie eligibility for relief for Ethiopian asylum applicant. Courtesy of Geoffrey A. Hoffman.
Congress Passes Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act (H.R. 7311)
On 12/11/08, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) which includes provisions to protect trafficking survivors, and new standards for how immigrant children will be treated in custody.
ICE Publishes Information Collection on Obligor Change of Address Form
ICE published an information collection on form I-333, Obligor Change of Address. Comments are due 1/22/09. (73 FR 78820, 12/23/08)
AILF Responds to New Voluntary Departure Rule
AILF analyzed EOIR's voluntary departure rule. The new regulations, which go into effect on 1/20/09, address various aspects of voluntary departure, including what happens to voluntary departure when motions to reopen and reconsider and petitions for review are filed.
BIA to Begin Providing Copy of Final Decision to Represented Aliens
On 12/19/08 EOIR announced that the BIA will soon begin providing a copy of final decisions to foreign nationals in removal proceedings, regardless of whether they are represented by counsel.
CA2 Unsure BIA Considered Equities as “Extraordinary Circumstances”
The court rejected Petitioner’s claim that 8 CFR §1212.7(d) is inconsistent with INA §212(h), but vacated and remanded because it was unable to conclude with confidence that the Board applied §1212.7(d) correctly. (Samuels v. Chertoff, 12/19/08)
AILA/ICE Liaison Minutes (5/30/2008)
The liaison minutes record discussions with ICE regarding such topics as: Detainee healthcare, Removal of Eligible Parolees Accepted for Transfer, Bonds and Transfers, Performance Based Detention standards, Custody review, E-verify, prosecutorial discretion and other issues.
DOJ Publishes Final Rule on Professional Conduct for Practitioners
EOIR published a final rule adopting, in part, the proposed changes to the rules and procedures concerning the standards of representation and professional conduct for practitioners who appear before EOIR. (73 FR 76914, 12/18/08)
DOJ Publishes Final Rule on Voluntary Departure
DOJ published a final rule amending its regulations regarding voluntary departure. (73 FR 76927, 12/18/08)
BIA Finds Request for Corroboration Improper, Adverse Credibility Analysis Inadequate
In an unpublished decision, the BIA held that the asylum applicant from Turkmenistan, persecuted on account of religion and ethnicity, adequately explained the failure to provide corroborating evidence. Also finds IJs adverse credibility determination was inadequate. Courtesy of Harry Asatrian.
EOIR Shows Lack of Balance and Diversity of Experience with New BIA Appointees
AILA expresses concern regarding EOIR’s announcement of five new appointees to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), none of whom, save one, have any experience in private immigration practice.
ATD Case Management Policy
In an email sent to field office directors and deputy field office directors, DRO Taskings outlines what officers managing ATD cases must do as part of "good case management."
CA2 on Applicability of §212(a) “Savings Clause” to Repeat Offenders
The court denied the petition for review, finding that an alien who is inadmissible under INA §212(a)(9)(C)(i)(I) is not eligible for adjustment of status under INA §245(i). (Mora v. Mukasey, 12/16/08)
CA7 Holds it Has Jurisdiction to Review Case that Falls within Subhan Exception to Ali
The court vacates and remands. It holds that it has jurisdiction to review the BIA’s denial of a motion to reopen because the case falls within the exception to Ali set forth in Subhan v. Ashcroft. (Potdar v. Mukasey, 12/16/08)
AG Mukasey Swears in New Members of the BIA
On 12/15/08 the DOJ announced that Attorney General Mukasey administered the oath of office to five new members of the Board of Immigration Appeals: Charles K. Adkins-Blanch, Anne J. Greer, Garry D. Malphrus, Hugh G. Mullane, and Linda S. Wendtland.