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
CA9 Denies Qualified Immunity to Montana Judge and Sheriff’s Deputy over Undocumented Immigrant’s Courthouse Arrest
In an action alleging that an undocumented immigrant’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated when he was arrested in a Montana courthouse, the court affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to the defendants, a local judge and sheriff’s deputy. (Reynaga Hernandez v. Skinner, et al., 8/10/20)
AILA and Partners Submit Amicus Brief on the Reinterpretation of the INA in Matter of Thomas and Matter of Thompson
AILA and partners submitted an amicus brief in the Seventh Circuit requesting the court to reject the Attorney General’s reinterpretation of the INA in Matter of Thomas and Matter of Thompson, which violates congressional intent to give full legal effect to state court modification orders.
CA9 Reaffirms That BIA Must Analyze Cognizability of Particular Social Groups on a Case-by-Case Basis
The court held that the BIA had misapplied Matter of A-B-, as well as past precedent, in concluding that the petitioner’s proposed social group comprised of “indigenous women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship” was not cognizable. (Diaz-Reynoso v. Barr, 8/7/20)
CA9 Remands Asylum Claim of Nicaraguan Petitioner Who Suffered Frequent and Severe Abuse by Domestic Partner
Granting the petition for review, the court held that substantial evidence did not support the BIA’s conclusion that petitioner had failed to establish the Nicaraguan government was unable or unwilling to protect her from persecution by her domestic partner. (Davila v. Barr, 8/7/20)
CA6 Holds It Lacks Jurisdiction to Review Motion to Reopen Based on Exceptional Circumstances
The court dismissed the petition for review for lack of jurisdiction, finding that the petitioner—who alleged that confusion about his hearing date constituted an exceptional situation—had failed to administratively exhaust the claims he raised in his petition. (Cuevas-Nuno v. Barr, 8/7/20)
EOIR Announces Three New Appellate Immigration Judges
EOIR announced the appointment of Michael P. Baird, Sunita B. Mahtabfar, and Sirce E. Owen as appellate immigration judges in EOIR's Board of Immigration Appeals. Notice includes the judges' biographical information.
EOIR To Resume Hearings in Non-Detained Cases at the Omaha Immigration Court
EOIR announced it will resume non-detained individual (merits) hearings and master calendar dockets involving relatively small numbers of respondents at the Omaha Immigration Court on August 10, 2020. The option to file by email at this court will end on October 10, 2020.
EOIR to Relocate the Seattle Immigration Court
EOIR announced that the Seattle Immigration Court will close on 8/13/20 to prepare for relocation. Detained hearings are expected to resume at the new location on 8/17/20; non-detained hearings remain postponed. Notice includes the court's new location, hours of operation, and contact information.
Sometimes You Just Have to Take ‘Em to Court
AILA First Vice President Jeremy McKinney describes his first foray into litigation, and what tools and resources can help AILA members litigate and win cases, writing that litigation “can benefit your clients, it can benefit the immigration bar, and ultimately, it can benefit everyone.“
CA9 Says “Obstruction of Justice” Under INA §101(a)(43)(S) Unambiguously Requires a Nexus to Ongoing or Pending Proceedings
Granting the petition for review, the court held that INA §101(a)(43)(S), which describes an aggravated felony offense relating to obstruction of justice, unambiguously requires a nexus to an ongoing or pending proceeding or investigation. (Valenzuela Gallardo v. Barr, 8/6/20)
NAIJ Files Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional Prior Restraint on the Speech of Immigration Judges
On 7/1/20, the Knight Institute filed a complaint on behalf of NAIJ challenging EOIR policies that impose a prior restraint on the speech of immigration judges. On 8/6/20, the court held that it lacked jurisdiction over NAIJ's claims and accordingly denied the motion for a preliminary injunction.
How To: Take Cases to Immigration Court
AILA Immigration Courts Conference Chair Michael Vastine shares insights on how AILA members can prepare themselves for immigration court, offering insights into the need to be “uniformly prepared, comprehensively trained, and conditioned to assertively and persuasively defend.“
CA1 Finds 98-Day Absence from United States Was Not “Brief, Casual, and Innocent” for Purposes of TPS
The court held that the BIA did not abuse its discretion in finding that the rescission of the petitioner’s removal order was incorrect, and that his 98-day absence from the United States barred him from Temporary Protected Status (TPS) relief. (Machado Sigaran v. Barr, 8/5/20)
BIA Issues Decision on Requirement to Notify Immigration Court of Correct Address
BIA ruled that reopening of proceedings to rescind removal based on improper notice is not warranted for an individual who was personally served with an NTA advising of requirement to notify the court of correct address and failed to do so. Matter of Nivelo Cardenas, 28 I&N Dec. 68 (BIA 2020)
CA5 Says Petitioner’s Texas Conviction for Sexual Assault of a Child Was a “Crime of Child Abuse”
The court held that the petitioner’s conviction for sexual assault of a child under Texas Penal Code section 22.011(a)(2) was a categorical match to a “crime of child abuse” as defined by the BIA, rendering him removable under INA §237(a)(2)(E)(i). (Garcia v. Barr, 8/4/20)
CA10 Finds It Lacks Jurisdiction to Review BIA’s Discretionary Cancellation-of-Removal Hardship Decision
The court held that, under INA §242(a)(2)(B), it lacked jurisdiction over the petitioner’s claim that the BIA had misapplied its precedent in weighing the level of hardship that the petitioner’s U.S. citizen spouse would face upon his removal. (Galeano-Romero v. Barr, 8/4/20)
FOIA Request Seeks Information on Immigration Court Operations During COVID-19 Pandemic
AILA, the American Immigration Council, and the NIPNLG filed a FOIA request to obtain documents related to EOIR’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FOIA request seeks expedited processing for information that is integral to understanding immigration court operations during the health crisis.
New FOIA Request Filed to Force Agency to Release Immigration Court Operations Information on COVID-19 Pandemic
AILA, the Council, and NIPNLG filed a FOIA request to obtain documents related to EOIR’s response to COVID-19, noting that EOIR has repeatedly ignored requests for information and seeking expedited release of documents that are integral to understanding EOIR’s operations during the pandemic.
Ethical Considerations Related to Affirmatively Filing an Asylum Application for the Purpose of Applying for Cancellation of Removal and Adjustment
Learn more about the significant ethical questions posed by submitting an affirmative asylum application with the goal of submitting an application for cancellation of removal, including candor to the tribunal, fees, what constitutes a frivolous application, and much more.
CA5 Upholds Denial of Asylum to Albanian Citizen Who Received Death Threats from Members of Socialist Party
The court upheld the denial of asylum to the Albanian petitioner, who had been threatened and attacked by members of his country’s Socialist Party, finding no error in the BIA’s conclusion that the petitioner’s injuries did not amount to past persecution. (Gjetani v. Barr, 7/31/20)
CA8 Finds Petitioner Failed to Show He Would Likely Be Tortured in South Sudan Based on His Membership in an Ethnic Minority
The court held that the BIA had correctly found that petitioner, who was a member of an ethnic minority, must show more than a pattern of general ethnic violence in South Sudan to meet the likelihood of torture requirement under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). (Lasu v. Barr, 7/31/20)
CA8 Upholds Deferral of Removal Denial to Iraqi Petitioner with a Criminal Record
Upholding the BIA’s denial of deferral of removal, the court found that the Iraqi petitioner’s argument that he would likely be tortured upon return to Iraq because of his criminal convictions was based on a chain of assumptions and speculation. (Alzawed v. Barr, 7/31/20)
CA10 Finds Petitioner’s Colorado Drug Conviction Did Not Qualify as a Predicate for Removal
The court held that the Colorado statute under which the petitioner was convicted for possessing hydrocodone was broader than its federal counterpart, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and that no categorical match existed between the state statute and the CSA. (Johnson v. Barr, 7/31/20)
The Council and NILA Submit Supplemental Letter Brief on Fifth Circuit’s Jurisdiction to Hear Challenge to Denial of Adjustment of Status
The Council and the National Immigration Litigation Alliance (NILA) submitted a supplemental brief in Solorzano v. Nielson urging the fifth circuit to find that it has jurisdiction over a challenge to a denial of adjustment of status where applicant cannot be placed in removal proceedings.
ICE Final Rule on Changes Applicable to Surety Bond Companies
ICE final rule which requires surety companies seeking to overcome a bond breach determination to exhaust administrative remedies, and which sets forth “for cause” standards so that ICE may decline bonds from companies that do not cure their deficient performance. (85 FR 45968, 7/31/20)