Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing parts of President Trump’s Muslim ban to go into effect, Amnesty International USA this evening filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents showing how federal agencies are planning to implement the ban. Amnesty International is asking the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide any information concerning the guidance provided to CBP agents at international airports regarding how arriving passengers will be processed. Agencies are legally obligated to respond to such requests in a timely fashion.
“The public needs to know exactly what agents in airports nationwide are being told to do, and we need to know now. This policy is cruel and discriminatory, and it could create havoc in airports in the U.S. and around the world,” said Margaret Huang, Amnesty International USA executive director. “Amnesty International has documented first-hand the horrific conditions that refugees are fleeing, and we’ve seen the turmoil President Trump’s orders created around the world earlier this year. We filed this request for documents because people need to know what to expect when they face immigration and law enforcement officials at U.S. borders.”
