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
CA6 Finds Actions by Secretary of DHS within § 1252(g) Jurisdictional Bar
CA6 affirmed dismissal for lack of jurisdiction, holding that an alien’s petition for a writ of prohibition that directly challenges his or her final removal order on constitutional grounds is subject to the jurisdictional bars. (Elgharib v. Napolitano, 3/30/10).
Round Up on Silva Trevino
AILA Amicus Committee alert on Matter of Silva Trevino, and its new rule for moral turpitude determinations. Guest blogging by Jenny Pelaez, from the Immigration Justice Clinic at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Immigration Enforcement By The Numbers
I'm going to stop using the word “shocked“ to describe my reaction to ICE's dirty secrets. Frankly, it is tough to be surprised by the antics of an agency which administers a draconian a detention system in which 107 immigrant detainees have perished since 2003. But I must admit I am taken aba
CA9 Finds Aggravated Felony Provision Does Not Apply to Pre-11/18/88 Convictions
The court held that the aggravated felony ground of removal under INA §237(a)(2)(A)(iii) does not apply to convictions that occurred before November 18, 1988, the date of enactment of the law that created the provision. (Ledezma-Galacia v. Holder, 12/22/10)
ICE Responds to The Washington Post on ICE DRO Memo on Removal Goals
ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton responded to The Washington Post article from 3/27/10 citing an ICE memo. Morton states that the memo, dated 2/22/10 from ICE DRO Director James M. Chaparro, was sent without his authorization and has been withdrawn and corrected.
ICE Memorandum on Clarification of February 22, 2010 Memo on Removal Goals
ICE DRO Director James Chaparro issued a memorandum to clarify the February 22, 2010 memo to ensure that it “signals no shift” in ICE prioritizing “dangerous criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities.”
BIA on Forced Sterilization and DOS Country Reports
The BIA held that the evidence, considered in light of DOS country reports, failed to establish reasonable possibility that either respondent would be subject to forced sterilization for having two U.S.-born children. Matter of H-L-H & Z-Y-Z, 25 I&N 209 (BIA 2010)
AILA/ICE Liaison Meeting Minutes (3/25/10)
Minutes from the AILA/ICE Liaison Committee meeting on 3/25/10, address: reporting requirements, right to counsel, alternatives to detention, medical treatment, detention facilities, and more.
CA8 Finds Jurisdiction to Review Continuance Denial Based on Kucana Decision
CA8 denied petition and held that since Supreme Court's Kucana decision effectively overruled CA8 decision in Onyinkwa, the court has jurisdiction to review the IJ's denial of the continuance. (Thimran v. Holder, 3/25/10)
BIA Round Up: Looking Ahead, Cases to Watch
AILA Amicus Committee alert with a summary of upcoming cases at the BIA.
AILA/EOIR Liaison Meeting Minutes (3/24/10)
The AILA EOIR Liaison 3/24/10 meeting minutes address pro bono issues, Immigration Court policies and procedures, MTRs, emergency stays of deportation/removal, the BIA, technology issues, attorney sanction questions, and more.
Southern District of Iowa Court Rules on the Defendants’ Motions in Visa and Mail Fraud Case
The Court ruled to grant in part and deny in part both Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and Motion to Suppress. Also suppressed are fruits derived from Government’s search of Defendants’ data images. (United States v. Vision Systems Group, Inc., 3/24/10)
CA8 Remands, Finding BIA Interpretation of Motion to Remand Distorted Aspect of Claim
CA8 remanded, holding that to the extent that BIA interpreted the motion to remand as an attempt to have the IJ decide her adjustment of status application, BIA's analysis distorted petitioner's request for a continuance for USCIS to consider her widow petition. (Clifton v. Holder, 3/23/10)
AILA Submits Amicus Brief in BIA Matter of C-T-L Case
AILA submitted an amicus brief in the BIA asylum case Matter of C-T-L. AILA concludes that the requirement that an enumerated ground is "at least one central reason" for the fear of persecution applies to withholding of removal claims.
ICE Opens Facility at Arizona Airport for Detainees Awaiting Removal
ICE announced the opening of the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center (AROCC) at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which will house 79 ICE employees and up to 157 detainees who are awaiting removal to countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Testimony of Assistant Secretary John Morton on ICE FY2011 Budget Request
On 03/18/10, ICE Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, John Morton testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the ICE FY2011 Budget request. ICE’s proposed FY2011 budget is $5.8 billion, a 2% increase over the FY2010 budget.
President Obama Extends Grant of Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians
The White House issued a memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security stating that the President extended the grant of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians through September 30, 2011.
BIA Finds Conviction for Infliction of Corporal Injury on Spouse is “Crime of Violence”
The BIA held that a misdemeanor conviction for willful infliction of corporal injury on a spouse under California law qualifies categorically as a conviction for a “crime of violence” under 18 U.S.C. § 16(a) (2006). Matter of Perez Ramirez, 25 I&N Dec. 203 (BIA 2010)
TRAC Issues Report on Criminal Immigration Prosecutions
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) issued a report on trends in criminal immigration prosecutions. The report finds that the rate of reported prosecutions during the first three months of FY2010 decreased by 8.8% compared to 2009 quarterly figures.
Matter of Saysana Revisited: AILA Amicus Committee Files Brief to BIA
AILA Amicus Committee alert that it has filed an amicus brief in Mr. Garcia Arreola’s case, asking the BIA to follow the plain language of the law and not Matter of Saysana when determining mandatory detention.
AILA-ICE Worksite Enforcement Meeting Summary & I-9 Worksite Enforcement Practice Tips
On February 23, 2010, the ICE subcommittee of the Verification and Documentation Committee met with the Enforcement Law Division of the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) and with the Worksite Division of ICE’s Office of Investigations.
AILA Submits Amicus Brief on Mandatory Detention with BIA
On 03/16/10, AILA submitted an amicus brief with the BIA in the Matter of Garcia Arreola, asking the Board to overturn Matter of Saysana and narrow the applicability of the mandatory detention statute, INA §236(c).
ICE Releases List of Detainee Deaths from October 2003 – March 2010
ICE released on its FOIA Reading Room a list of detainees who died in ICE custody from October 2003 – March 2010.
CA7 Finds Attorney Conduct in Asylum Case Warrants Professional Investigation
CA7 denied petition, noting that a professional investigation of attorney’s handling of the petitioners’ cases appears to be warranted. The court transmitted its decision to the Arkansas Committee on Professional Conduct and EOIR. (Juarez v. Holder, 3/12/10)
CA9 Grants Petition in Part for Remand on Issue of Religious Persecution
CA9 granted petition in part, finding that the court was required to remand to the BIA to address the questions of whether petitioner would be in danger of persecution on account of his religion or would be entitled to other relief. (Tijani v. Holder, 3/11/10)