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Innovation Law Lab Files FOIA Lawsuit

February 23, 2024 (1 min read)

Innovation Law Lab, Feb. 22, 2024

"We filed suit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to demand that USCIS publicly and proactively disclose the Credible Fear Procedures Manual (CFPM) and the Reasonable Fear Procedures Manual (RFPM). USCIS uses these manuals to decide whether individuals who express a fear of return to their home countries will be deported or have the opportunity to seek asylum. In the nearly ten months since Innovation Law Lab requested these manuals, USCIS has refused to make them public and has not provided them to Innovation Law Lab. The complaint seeks the public release of the requested manuals in order to ensure transparency in expedited removal processes overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Both manuals detail the procedural framework through which USCIS staff evaluate claims of fear of persecution or torture from individuals who may be subject to fast-tracked deportation without ever seeing an immigration judge. The lawsuit was filed in the District Court for the District of Oregon by attorneys from Innovation Law Lab and the National Immigration Litigation Alliance."