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.
| Pre Jan 20, 2025 Status | Current Status |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Browse the Featured Issue: Representing Clients Before ICE collection
CA7 Discusses “Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence”
The court held that Petitioner, who had a criminal conviction unknown to the government at the time his application for adjustment of status was approved, was never “lawfully admitted for permanent residence.” (Estrada-Ramos v. Holder, 7/1/10)
Immigration Law Advisor, June 2010 (Vol. 4, No. 6)
Immigration Law Advisor, a EOIR legal publication, with an article on recent developments in gang-related asylum claims, federal court activity for May 2010, an article on the bars to refugee protection, recent BIA precedent decisions, and a regulatory update.
ICE Civil Enforcement Priorities Memorandum
A 6/30/10 memo from ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton outlining the agency’s civil enforcement priorities.
BIA Overrules Saysana in Matter of Garcia-Arreola
AILA Amicus Committee alert on Matter of Garcia-Arreola and how this decision distinguishes from Saysana.
IJ Jurisdiction Over Bond Hearings Following ICE Transfer
AILA Amicus Committee alert on the practice of IJ’s refusing to conduct a bond hearing after a hearing is requested and scheduled but ICE moves the detainee. By guest writer Trina Realmuto at the National Immigration Project.
BIA Overrules Matter of Saysana Decision on Mandatory Detention
The BIA held that a post-TPCR release from non-DHS custody must be directly tied to basis for detention in INA §236(c)(1)(A)–(D) to implicate the mandatory detention provision. AILA filed an amicus brief in the case. Matter of Garcia Arreola, 25 I&N Dec. 267 (BIA 2010)
DHS Fact Sheet on Southwest Border Next Steps
DHS issued a fact sheet on department initiatives on the southwest border from the past year and a half and planned, new budget-neutral initiatives.
Sign-On Letter to ICE Expressing Views on Immigration Detainer Policy
On 6/23/10, AILA joined the ACLU and other immigrants’ rights and civil rights organizations in expressing concerns and views on the issuance of immigration detainers. This sign-on letter was presented to ICE as it works to develop guidance on detainer policy.
Sign-On Letter In Support of the HELP for Separated Children Act (S. 3522)
On 6/22/10, AILA joined a group of national and local immigrants’ rights, women’s rights, public health, medical, and religious organizations in voicing support for Senator Franken’s Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act (S. 3522).
Senators Franken, Kohl Introduce HELP Separated Children Act
On 6/22/10, Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) introduced the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act (S. 3522).
CA1 Finds "Youths Who Resist Gang Recruitment" Is Not a Social Group
Citing Mendez-Barrera v. Holder, the court held that "youths who resist gang recruitment" does not constitute a particular social group. (Larios v. Holder, 6/21/10)
BIA Holds Failure to Timely File Supporting Docs May Not Deem Application Abandoned
The BIA held that when an application for relief is timely filed but supporting documents are not submitted within time established, IJ may deem opportunity to file documents waived but may not deem the application itself abandoned. Matter of Interiano-Rosa, 25 I&N Dec. 264 (BIA 2010)
Jailed Without Justice: Immigration Detention in the USA
This report from Amnesty International exposes the immigrant detention system in the U.S. as broken and unnecessarily costly. It costs about $95 per day to detain someone, while effective alternatives only cost $12 per day, yet the alternatives are often not considered.
TVPRA and the One-Year Asylum Bar
AILA Amicus Committee alert that a noncitizen who holds the status of an unaccompanied alien child during the one-year period after his or her entry into the U.S., is never subject to the one-year filing deadline. The Amicus Committee is looking for cases that might raise this issue.
CA1 Finds BIA Erred in Mailing Briefing Schedule to Incomplete Address
The court found that the BIA abused its discretion by issuing a poorly reasoned decision on whether Petitioner was entitled to have her proceedings reopened due to inadequate notice of the briefing schedule. (Aponte v. Holder, 6/18/10)
BIA on Conditional Parole and Eligibility for Adjustment of Status
BIA held that an alien released from custody on conditional parole under INA § 236(a)(2)(B) has not been “paroled into the United States” for purposes of establishing eligibility for adjustment of status under §245(a). Matter of Castillo-Padilla, 25 I&N 257 (BIA 2010)
AILA Testimony on EOIR Submitted to the House Immigration Subcommittee
AILA testimony submitted to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law for an oversight hearing on the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) on 6/17/10.
AILA's Immigration 101
AILA packet of introductory materials outlining the basic terms, legislation, and processes associated with immigration law in the U.S.
CA2 Finds BIA Engaged in Impermissible Fact-Finding in Cancellation Case
The court vacated, finding that the BIA impermissibly engaged in fact-finding and relied on unproven and disputed allegations as basis for its decision. (Padmore v. Holder, 6/15/10)
Supreme Court Issues Decision on 2nd Drug Possession Conviction and Aggravated Felonies
Supreme Court reversed, holding that second or subsequent simple possession offenses are not aggravated felonies under INA §101(a)(43) when the state conviction is not based on the fact of a prior conviction. (Carachuri-Rosendo v. Holder, 6/14/10)
ICE Releases Secure Communities Presentations on FOIA Reading Room
ICE released several presentations on Secure Communities from 2009 and 2010 on its FOIA Reading Room. The presentations include a Secure Communities Crash Course, Secure Communities v. 287(g), State and Local Coordination, and a fact sheet.
CA9 Finds §212(k) Refers to Invalid Visas
CA9 found petitioners eligible for §212(k) relief, concluding that their immigrant visas, which were derivative of their mother’s fraudulently-obtained LPR status, fell with the scope of §212(k). (Shin v. Holder, 6/11/10)
CIS Ombudsman Issues Recommendations on Processing of Waivers of Inadmissibility
The CIS Ombudsman issued recommendations to the Director of USCIS on the processing of waivers of inadmissibility to enhance the current filing process and minimize reluctance to file.
CA2 Interprets “Previously” as Used in INA §212(h)
The court held that under §212(h), the term “previously” refers to an alien who has been admitted to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident at any time in the past, not merely upon the most recent admission. (Dobrova v. Holder, 6/9/10)
Assistant Secretary Morton Announces Internal Realignment of ICE Offices
Assistant Secretary Morton announced that ICE will realign its offices to promote criminal investigations over deportation. The three new directorates are: Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and Management and Administration.