The American Civil Liberties Union took action Thursday to uncover whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents violated a federal court order regarding Donald Trump's Muslim ban. Fifty ACLU affiliates filed 18 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking to expose how CPB implemented the Muslim ban at 55 international airports across the country. Ronn Blitzer writes:
Legal battles in the days after the order was signed have resulted in federal courts limiting the scope of the ban, but there have been concerns that officials are not abiding by the court instructions. In Virginia, attorneys were reportedly being kept from meeting with detained travelers, despite a court order requiring that the detained individuals be able to speak with legal counsel.
Through the FOIA requests, “the ACLU seeks information regarding CBP’s implementation of the Executive Order at international airports in the United States.” They are asking for records including text messages, emails, voicemails, phone recordings, directives, training documents, and memos related to the executive order.
Numerous reports have emerged since last Friday in which legal immigrants continued to be detained long after a federal court order was issued late Saturday night. White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed earlier this week that only 109 people had been detained for questioning. It was an absolute lie, writes Glenn Kessler.
The "109" number is old, and rather dubious. For instance, it does not reflect how many people were prevented from even boarding a plane. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 348 people were denied boarding from the issuance of the executive order Friday through 6 p.m. Sunday.
An additional 392 green card holders have been processed and admitted to the United States, the agency says. Originally, the White House had said that green card holders would also be blocked from entering, but it reversed itself Sunday under political pressure.
Officials have not responded to repeated requests for an updated number on the number of people detained at U.S. airports. However, the Daily Beast reported that an additional 200 to 250 people were denied entry once their flights landed -- and they were part of a larger pool of 735 people at ports of entry who could have been barred from entering the United States. (emphasis added)
The 109 number was already outdated when Spicer floated it Monday. But the administration’s continued stonewalling is exactly why the ACLU has filed the FOIA requests.