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
INS Advises on Withdrawal of Applications for Admission
A 12/22/97 memo from Paul Virtue, Executive Associate Commissioner (INS) reviews and revises Chapter 17.2 of Inspector's Field Manual (IFM), relating to withdrawal of application for admission.
BIA on Definition of "Admission" and Fleuti Doctrine
The BIA held that a returning LPR as described in INA §101(a)(13)(C)(i)-(vi) shall be regarded as "seeking admission" without regard to whether the LPR's departure might previously have been regarded as brief, casual, and innocent under the Fleuti doctrine. (Matter of Collado-Munoz, 12/18/97)
BIA on "Exceptional Circumstances" Exception to Failure to Voluntarily Depart
The BIA held that neither a long-standing minor illness nor an allegation of serious illness to others establishes "exceptional circumstances" under INA §242B(f)(2) without evidence specifying how such circumstances resulted in the alien's failure to depart. (Matter of Ali, 12/9/97)
P.L. 104-141
Full text of a bill 'To require the Attorney General to establish a program in local prisons to identify, prior to arraignment, criminal aliens and aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes' signed into law on 12/5/97.
AILA and National Lawyers Guild Comments on EOIR Interim Rule on Removal
AILA and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild comments to EOIR interim rule providing for implementation of a transitional policy for processing suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal cases.
BIA Says "General Assertion" Is Not Enough to Reopen In Absentia Order
The BIA held that an applicant's general assertion that he was prevented from reaching his hearing on time due to heavy traffic does not constitute reasonable cause that would warrant reopening his in absentia exclusion proceedings. (Matter of S-A-, 11/25/97)
OCIJ on Enactment of NACARA
Directive from Office of the Chief Immigration Judge on the enactment of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act, including eligibility qualifications and procedures, and changes to suspension of deportation and cancellation of removal.
H.R. 2607 - Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act
Full text of the 'Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act' (NACARA) contained in the 'District of Columbia FY98 Appropriations bill' signed into law on 11/19/97.
Texas Court of Appeals Allows Petitioner to Withdraw Guilty Plea
The trial court granted petitioner a post-conviction writ of habeas corpus and allowed her to withdraw her guilty plea and set aside and dismissed her conviction as the lack of immigration admonitions deprived her of due process and due court of law rights. (Texas v. Jimenez, 11/13/97)
CLINIC Report on Credible Fear and Expedited Removal
Report from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) on INS implementation of the expedited removal and credible fear screening process.
INS Revises Detention Policy
A 10/22/97 from Mark K. Reed Acting Executive Associate Commissioner (INS) discussing the definition of "lawfully admitted" for purposes of the Transition Period Custody Rules.
EOIR Memo on Procedures for Issuing FY1997 Suspension and Cancellation Orders
An October 15, 1997 memorandum from Michael J. Creppy, Chief Immigration Judge (EOIR) regarding the procedures for issuing conditional grant orders for suspension and cancellation cases reserved in Fiscal Year (FY) 1997.
EOIR Memo with Procedures for Suspension/Cancellation
The following is a October 3, 1997 memo from Michael J. Creppy, Chief Immigration Judge (EOIR) regarding the procedures for issuing conditional grant orders for suspension of deportation and cancellation of removal.
INS Letter Invoking IIRIRA Transitional Period Custody Rules
Undated letter from Doris Meissner, Commissioner, INS to Henry J. Hyde, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, invoking the Transitional Period Custody Rules (TPCR) under IIRIRA §309(b)(3) for FY1998, due to a lack of sufficient INS detention space.
INS Interim Rule on Suspension of Deportation and Cancellation of Removal
INS/EOIR interim rule establishing a procedure for processing suspension of deportation and cancellation of removal and adjustment of status cases. Rule is effective on 10/1/97, with comments due by 12/1/97. (62 FR 51760, 10/3/97)
INS Liason Minutes (9/30/97)
Attached are the minutes from the September 30, 1997 INS/AILA Adjudications Liason Meeting. Please note: These are draft minutes reflecting AILA's interpretation of the meeting and have not yet been approved by INS.
INS on Detention and Release of Criminal Aliens
INS/EOIR proposed rule amending the regulations by establishing a regulatory framework for the detention of criminal aliens pursuant to the Transition Period Custody Rules (TPCR) set forth in the IIRAIRA. (62 FR 48138, 9/15/97)
BIA Grants Remand in Adjustment of Status Case
The BIA granted the respondent’s motion to remand the record to the immigration judge to apply for adjustment of status, even though the respondent failed to provide a completed Form I-485 with her motion. (Matter of Yewondwosen, 9/9/97)
INS Advises on “Falsely Made Applications”
A 9/3/07 memo from Paul W. Virtue, Acting Executive Associate Commissioner (INS) regarding the criminal penalties for preparation of falsely made applications for immigration benefits under IIRAIRA.
INS Advises on “Unaccompanied Minors” & Removal
An 8/21/97 memo from Paul Virtue, Acting Executive Associate Commissioner (INS) setting forth new policy for the treatment of minors subject to expedited removal.
Foreign Expungement Has No Effect on Conviction for Immigration Purposes
The BIA held that the expungement of the respondent’s foreign drug conviction pursuant to a foreign rehabilitation statute does not prevent a finding of inadmissibility under INA 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(II). (Matter of Dillingham, 8/20/97)
INS on LPR to Establish Seven Years of Lawful Domicile
INS final rule stating that a 212(c) eligible alien who has adjusted to lawful permanent resident status, pursuant to sections 245A or 210, may use the combined period as a lawful temporary resident and lawful permanent resident to establish seven years of domicile in the U.S. (62 FR 43466, 8/14/97)
BIA Rejects Untimely Motion to Reopen
The BIA held that the respondent's untimely motion to reopen did not fall within the 8 CFR §3.2(c)(3)(ii) exception allowing for reopening out of time in order to apply for asylum based on changed country conditions. (Matter of J-J-, 7/31/97)
BIA Upholds Decision to Deny Asylum and Withholding Due to Robbery Conviction
The BIA dismissed the appeal of the IJ's denial of asylum and withholding, finding that the applicant's conviction for robbery with a deadly weapon was an aggravated felony and a particularly serious crime. (Matter of L-S-J-, 7/29/97)
INS on Enhancements of Criminal Penalties
A 1997 memo from Paul W. Virtue, Acting Executive Associate Commissioner (INS) highlighting changes to the INA with the signing of IIRAIRA.