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
CA9 Holds Defendant’s Prior In Absentia and Expedited Removals Invalid as Fundamentally Unfair
The court held IJ erred in finding LPR removable in absentia, and that in absentia and expedited removals denied meaningful chance for LPR to contest loss of status; thus, those removals cannot be predicate offenses for illegal re-entry conviction. (United States v. Ochoa-Oregel, 8/2/18)
CA5 Upholds BIA/IJ Findings that Petitioner Does Not Qualify for Withholding of Removal
The court affirmed petitioner was not persecuted on account of imputed political opinion or membership in PSG of Roma family members; denied jurisdiction to review derivative asylum claim and CAT denial for lack of administrative exhaustion. (Revencu v. Sessions, 7/12/18, revised 8/2/18)
CA5 Rejects IJ/BIA Finding that Mann Party Sikh Asylum Applicant Could “Safely and Reasonably Relocate”
The court remanded, holding that DHS did not offer any evidence that the specific petitioner could safely relocate within India, despite the success of others similarly situated, and, thus, failed to meet its burden of proof. (Singh v. Sessions, 8/2/18)
CA3 Determined “False Report” Provision of Commodities Exchange Act Does Not Require Evidence of Materiality, Conviction Not Aggravated Felony
The court examined 7 USC §6b(a)(1)(B), and rejected BIA’s conclusion that it requires evidence of “materiality”; thus, conviction does not qualify as an aggravated felony under the “involving fraud or deceit” element of INA, §101(a)(43)(M)(1). (Wang v. Att’y Gen., 8/1/18)
Detaining Families: A Study of Asylum Adjudication in Family Detention
The American Immigration Council released a report that draws on thousands of government records over a 15-year period and highlights the multiple barriers to justice families seeking asylum face while in detention, as well as the important role the courts have played in protecting due process.
ABA Issues Updated Report on UACs in the United States
The American Bar Association (ABA) issued an updated report on the standards for the custody, placement and care; legal representation; and adjudication of unaccompanied alien children in the United States.
USCIS Provides Data on Active DACA Recipients as of July 31, 2018
USCIS provided data on active DACA recipients as of July 31, 2018, by country of birth, by state or territory of residence, by core based statistical area, by gender, by age, and by marital status.
USCIS Provides Approximate Number of Active DACA Recipients as of July 31, 2018
USCIS provided data on the approximate number of active DACA recipients, broken by month and year of their current DACA expiration date, as of July 31, 2018.
USCIS Provides Data on Pending DACA Applications as of July 31, 2018
USCIS provided data on the approximate number of DACA renewals pending with expired DACA and the approximate number of DACA initial applications pending, as of July 31, 2018.
CA7 Holds It Has Jurisdiction to Conclude BIA Determination Was Ultra Vires
The court held BIA erred by overturning IJ’s termination of proceedings and entering its own removal order in the first instance. Because BIA’s order was ultra vires and not final, the court has no jurisdiction to review underlying issues of removability. (Mejia Galindo v. Sessions, 7/31/18)
CA7 Upholds BIA Denial of Untimely and Number-Barred MTRs, Agrees Lozada Requirements Not Met
The court concluded BIA did not abuse discretion in holding that petitioner failed to prove ineffective assistance of counsel of any of his three prior attorneys; thus, his motions did not meet the “exceptional circumstance” standard to merit equitable tolling. (Sembhi v. Sessions, 7/31/18)
CA8 Affirms IJ/BIA Applied Correct Legal Standard to Protected Ground Analysis for Asylum Denial
The court held that IJ/BIA correctly considered whether applicant’s social group (son of police officer) or political opinion was “one central reason” for harm, despite adverse conclusion that they were merely incidental to gang recruitment efforts. (Gomez-Rivera v. Sessions, 7/31/18)
CRS Provides Legal Sidebar on Family Separation at the Border and the Ms. L. Litigation
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports on family separation at the border, various proposals from the administration and lawmakers to maintain family unity, and developments in the Ms. L; et al. litigation.
Written Statement from ICE Associate Director on Immigration Enforcement and Family Reunification
Written statement from Matthew T. Albence, executive associate director of the ERO division of ICE, for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Oversight of Immigration Enforcement and Family Reunification.”
BIA Remands to IJ to Consider Continuance Request by Respondent with Pending U Visa Petition
Unpublished BIA decision vacates denial of continuance where IJ did not make preliminary determination whether respondent was prima facie eligible for U visa. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Gomez-Alfaro, 7/31/18)
EOIR to Open Immigration Court in Jena, LA
EOIR announced that it will open an immigration court at the LaSalle ICE Processing Center in Jena, LA, on July 30, 2018. Notice includes contact information and hours of operation.
Retired IJs and Former Members of the BIA Statement in Response to Latest Attack on Judicial Independence
On 7/30/18, retired IJs and former members of the BIA issued a statement in response to EOIR’s actions on July 26, 2018. EOIR had removed a sitting IJ from the case of Castro-Tum and replaced the IJ with an ACIJ without explanation. The ACIJ ordered Mr. Castro-Tum removed in absentia.
Senators Request Hearing on Criteria for Deeming Separated Families “Ineligible for Reunification”
On 7/30/18, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent HHS a letter to express concern regarding the procedures and standards HHS is employing to make reunification eligibility decisions and request a briefing focused on this concern.
CA9 Remands for Application of Presumption of Future Persecution on Account of Religion
The court held IJ/BIA erred in concluding harm was one incident that did not rise to past persecution; rather, government condition of release preventing petitioner from practicing his religion was ongoing harm that compelled a finding of past persecution. (Guo v. Sessions, 7/30/18)
BIA Holds Criminal Judgment Entered In Absentia Not a Conviction for Immigration Purposes
Unpublished BIA decision holds that an administratively entered judgment of guilt due to the respondent’s failure to appear in court does not qualify as a conviction for immigration purposes. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Davies, 7/30/18)
BIA Rescinds In Absentia Order Against Respondent Who Presented Herself to ICE
Unpublished BIA decision rescinds in absentia order where respondent willingly presented herself to ICE before and after being ordered removed and exercised due diligence in retaining counsel and seeking to reopen proceedings. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Esteban-Manuel, 7/30/18)
CA6 Remands, Holds BIA Erred on Multiple Counts in Overturning IJ’s Grants of Asylum and §237(a)(1)(H) Waiver
The court held that the BIA’s asylum denial went against its own precedent and was an abuse of discretion because it unreasonably weighed one negative factor of visa misrepresentation against the IJ’s finding of many positive factors. (Hussam F. v. Sessions, 7/27/18)
AILA Philadelphia Attorneys Condemn Administration's Assault on Immigrants and Due Process
The AILA Philadelphia Chapter issued a statement condemning EOIR’s removal of a sitting immigration judge (IJ) from the case of Castro-Tum, replacing the IJ with an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge (ACIJ) without explanation. The ACIJ ordered Mr. Castro-Tum removed in absentia.
Immigrant Connection Project To Help Reconnect Parents and Children
The Immigrant Connection Project, a partnership between the Vera Institute of Justice and New America, is a resource for parents who have been separated from their children—as well as for the attorneys for these parents.
H.R. 6594: REUNITE Act
On 7/26/18, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introduced the Reunite Every Unaccompanied Newborn Infant Toddler and Other Children Expeditiously (REUNITE) Act to reunite families separated at or near ports of entry.