Lawsuit seeks to block ICE from hiding locations of detainees with final removal orders

What happened: Legal groups sued in federal court in Boston to block ICE's policy of removing the locations of detainees with final removal orders from its Online Detainee Locator System and instructing staff not to reveal their whereabouts. Key numbers: The change affected more than 16,000 of the nearly 69,000 detainees in ICE custody as of Why it matters: The lawsuit says the policy makes it difficult or impossible for lawyers to locate clients, causing delayed or missed filings and fewer cases taken. It argues the change violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the First Amendment.

Legal groups sued in federal court in Boston to block ICE's policy of removing the locations of detainees with final removal orders from its Online Detainee Locator System and instructing staff not to reveal their whereabouts.

The lawsuit says the policy makes it difficult or impossible for lawyers to locate clients, causing delayed or missed filings and fewer cases taken. It argues the change violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the First Amendment.