On October 16, 2018, the ACLU of Southern California filed this lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The plaintiff sued under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. §552, seeking the release of records related to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents’ practice of misrepresenting or concealing their identity when conducting enforcement actions. Specifically, the plaintiff sought to order the defendant to produce the public records requested on February 12, 2019, without further delay and to declare that the defendant failed to comply with FOIA.

Judge John A. Kronstadt approved the defendant’s Ex Parte Application to Stay Case due to the lapse in appropriations to the Department of Justice on January 11, 2019. The stay was lifted on February 5, 2019.

In an August 15, 2019, status update, the defendant stated that it had produced records to the plaintiff on several occasions since litigation commenced and that the parties were continuing to discuss a possible resolution to the case without the need for further litigation.

On February 3, 2020, the parties filed a joint stipulation to dismiss the case. The plaintiff stated that it was satisfied with the documents the defendant had produced in response to the FOIA request. On February 4, Judge Kronstadt issued an order dismissing the case with prejudice. The parties were to bear their own costs, fees, and expenses.

The case is closed.

Sichun Liu - 02/10/2019
Sam Kulhanek - 04/18/2020


compress summary