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
BIA Finds Pro Se Respondent Did Not Validly Waive Appeal
Unpublished BIA decision finds pro se respondent did not validly waive appeal despite initially saying he would accept the IJ’s decision as final. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Elwin, 3/31/16)
BIA Upholds Grant of Asylum Based on Inability to Relocate Internally
Unpublished BIA decision denies a DHS appeal and affirms a grant of asylum upon finding that immigration judge did not commit clear error in finding the respondent could not internally relocate within Pakistan. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of N-K-B-, 3/31/16)
EOIR Factsheet on Fighting Fraud, Abuse, and Ineffective Representation in Immigration Proceedings
EOIR provided a factsheet on its programs to fight fraud, abuse, and ineffective representation in immigration proceedings.
CARA OCRCL Complaint: Ongoing Concerns Regarding the Detention and Fast-Track Removal of Detained Children and Mothers Experiencing Symptoms of Trauma
The CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project filed a formal complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Office of Inspector General to register ongoing concerns regarding the detention of traumatized mothers and children in ICE family detention centers.
Obama Administration Continues to Detain Traumatized Mothers and Children Who Fled Violence
The CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project filed a formal complaint and called for a comprehensive investigation into the psychological and physiological impact that family detention is having on children and mothers, as well as the due process violations that occur as a result.
CA7 Upholds Denial of Adjustment Application Where Marriage Was Not Deemed Bona Fide
The court upheld the BIA decision, finding that substantial evidence supported the IJ’s finding that the Bulgarian petitioner committed marriage fraud, and thus that he was ineligible for adjustment of status. (Zyapkov v. Lynch, 3/29/16)
CA9 Finds Petitioner Was Unconstitutionally Denied a New Attorney
Unpublished Ninth Circuit decision vacates petitioner’s convictions and sentences for illegal reentry, and holds that the district court violated petitioner's Sixth Amendment right to counsel by denying his requests for a new attorney. (United States v. Torres Hernandez, 3/28/16)
CA8 Finds "Dated Events" Did Not Translate into an Objectively Reasonable Present Fear of Persecution
The court held that petitioner failed to show why threats made to him by Guatemalan guerrillas in 1992, 1997, and 2006 provided an objectively reasonable basis for a present fear of particularized persecution on account of petitioner’s political opinion. (Cinto-Velasquez v. Lynch, 3/25/16)
AILA Amicus Brief on Jurisdiction over Timely Appeal Filed After Waiver of Right to Appeal
AILA amicus brief filed with the Ninth Circuit arguing that the BIA has jurisdiction over a timely appeal that is filed after a waiver of the right to appeal, and that the regulations are an impermissible contraction of the BIA's jurisdiction and are inconsistent with the statute’s plain language.
BIA Rescinds In Absentia Order Issued Prior to Scheduled Hearing Time
Unpublished BIA decision rescinds in absentia order issued more than 30 minutes before respondent was scheduled to appear. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Carreiro, 3/24/16)
CA11 Affirms Dismissal of Bivens Claim Alleging Unconstitutionally Prolonged Detention
The court affirmed the district court's dismissal of the plaintiff's Bivens action, holding that no Bivens remedy is available to a plaintiff who claims that immigration officials unconstitutionally prolonged his detention. (Alvarez v. ICE, 3/24/16)
CA9 Says “Habitual Drunkard” Bar to Good Moral Character Is Unconstitutional
The court held that INA §101(f)(1) is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause, because there is no rational basis to classify people afflicted by chronic alcoholism as innately lacking good moral character (Ledezma-Cosino v. Lynch, 3/24/16)
CA2 Says BIA's Decision Not to Certify Untimely Appeal Is Not Subject to Judicial Review
The court held that the BIA's decision declining to certify the petitioner's untimely appeal of his removal order was a discretionary determination and, accordingly, was not subject to judicial review. (Vela‐Estrada v. Lynch, 3/21/16)
TRAC Report Shows Only One Fourth of New Immigration Court Cases Involved Mexicans
This report from TRAC finds that only one in four immigration court filings in FY2016 involved Mexicans. The number of court proceedings involving Mexicans peaked in FY2009. The report also finds that 35% of new cases are for women and unaccompanied children, primarily from Central America.
VSC Stakeholders Newsletter, Winter 2016
In the Winter 2016 issue of the VSC stakeholder newsletter, there are filing tips for DACA and H-1Bs, and notice that VSC began issuing two-year work permits for U applicants granted deferred action under the conditional grant program. There is also a message from Center Director Laura Zuchowski.
AILA’s Comment on Sentencing Guidelines for Illegal Entry and Smuggling
AILA comments submitted on 3/21/16 on the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s proposed changes to the Sentencing Guidelines for the crimes of illegal reentry (2L1.2) and smuggling (2L1.1).
CA9 Finds California Convictions for Identity Theft Are Not Categorically CIMTs
The court held that the BIA erred in finding that the petitioners’ convictions for identity theft under California Penal Code §§530.5(a) and (d)(2) were categorically crimes involving moral turpitude. (Linares-Gonzalez v. Lynch, 3/21/16)
CA9 Says "Imputed Wealthy Americans” Is Not a Particular Social Group
The court upheld the BIA's denial of the motion to reopen, finding that petitioners, Mexican citizens who asserted a fear of persecution based on membership in a social group comprised of "imputed wealthy Americans," failed to establish asylum eligibility. (Ramirez-Munoz v. Lynch, 3/21/16)
CRS Report on Right to Counsel in Removal Proceedings
This CRS report looks at the right to counsel in removal proceedings, including how the Fifth Amendment and the INA are used to guarantee right to counsel at the individual’s expense and the circumstances under which an undocumented immigrant is eligible for counsel at the government’s expense.
District Court Orders USCIS to Adjudicate Plaintiff’s 1982 Naturalization Application
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut granted the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment, ordering USCIS to “perform all acts necessary” to enable review of plaintiff’s pending 1982 naturalization application, and to render a timely decision. (Giammarco v. Beers, 3/17/16)
BIA Holds Marriage Not Required for Domestic Violence Asylum Claims
Unpublished BIA decision holds that “women who cannot leave a relationship” is a cognizable particular social group regardless of whether the applicant was married to her abuser. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of H-M-R-M, 3/17/16)
Resources and Links on Central American Humanitarian Crisis
A resource guide with statistics and information about the humanitarian crisis in the Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala) of Central America. Includes links to additional resources with information on the multiple push factors driving children to flee their home countries.
AILA Files Amicus Brief with CA9 on Ambiguous Records of Conviction
AILA joined other immigrant rights and legal services organizations in filing an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit in Vasquez v. Lynch urging the court to hold that the petitioner is not barred from relief on an ambiguous record of conviction.
AIM: Educators Respond to Fear Over Immigration Raids
Dr. Maritza Gonzalez, Director of Latino Affairs for the Prince George's County Public Schools, shares how deportation fears after immigration raids are causing drops in attendance rates at area schools and discusses what the education system is doing.
DHS OIG To Periodically Inspect CBP and ICE Detention Facilities
DHS OIG announced a program of ongoing unannounced inspections of CBP and ICE detention facilities. The OIG is initiating this inspection program in response to concerns raised by immigrant rights groups and complaints to the DHS OIG Hotline regarding conditions for aliens in CBP and ICE custody.