Lawsuit challenges ICE policy on detainee location transparency

Legal advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston to block a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy that obscures the locations of detainees with final removal orders.

The policy, implemented to expedite deportations, involves removing location data for certain individuals from the Online Detainee Locator System and instructing staff not to disclose whereabouts. According to the lawsuit, this change interferes with the ability of immigration lawyers to locate their clients, potentially denying them the opportunity to defend their rights.

As of last month, the move reportedly affected more than 16,000 of the approximately 69,000 detainees in ICE custody. While the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not publicly confirmed the specific change, they have stated they are prioritizing the deportation of those with final removal orders. The agencies have denied allegations that detainees are being disappeared, noting that individuals remain able to make phone calls.