ACLU-NE v. DHS; DHS OIG

In August of 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided several businesses in and around O’Neill, Nebraska. Authorities took 133 people into custody in a raid based on warrants for 17 people. At the time of the raid, we criticized the operation for glaring failures to provide detainees with adequate food, water, shelter and language interpretation services.

Our concerns led the Office of the Inspector General to open an investigation and interview affected community members, but officials never shared the results of that investigation.

When officials ignored a public records request seeking more information on the OIG’s investigation, we turned to the court system.

Shortly after we sued, federal officials turned over 77 pages of partially redacted documents, including memos of interviews with ICE agents and immigrants who had been detained. Ultimately, the OIG found that concerns of civil rights violations were unsubstantiated, a position we contend.