FOLLOW US

In a federal courtroom showdown aimed at piercing the veil of government secrecy, the Democracy Forward Foundation sued the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, accusing the agencies of stonewalling efforts to uncover Stephen Miller’s influence on immigration crackdowns during the Trump administration.

The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit said DHS and ICE violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by ignoring multiple requests for records, including communications with former White House aide Stephen Miller, a controversial figure in the Trump-era immigration strategy.

A Trail of Unanswered FOIA Requests

Filed in Washington federal court, the lawsuit outlines how Democracy Forward submitted four FOIA requests between February and May of this year. The group alleges both agencies have failed to produce a single document or provide any meaningful updates.

The earliest request, dated Feb. 3, sought emails from senior ICE officials — Caleb Vitello, Jon Feere, and Kenneth Genalo — referencing keywords such as “Chicago raids,” “New York raids,” “Boston raid,” “embed,” and “joint patrol.” The nonprofit also asked for correspondence between those ICE officials and external figures, including Miller, Tom Homan (the former border czar), and James McHenry, a former acting attorney general.

In response, ICE claimed on Feb. 13 that the scope of the request was overly broad and lacked specificity — a move the lawsuit characterizes as a bureaucratic delay tactic.

Pursuing the Faces Behind the Masks

Another FOIA request, sent on April 1, sought any policies or directives about ICE agents wearing face or head coverings during immigration enforcement since January 20. This line of inquiry comes amid public concern over increasing opacity during immigration raids.

The final pair of FOIA requests — submitted to both ICE and DHS on May 22 — asked for communications containing the names “Stephen Miller,” “Tom Homan,” or “America First Legal,” which the nonprofit labeled a “far-right group” co-founded by Miller.

Despite acknowledgments from DHS and ICE that delays could occur, Democracy Forward said neither agency followed up, pushing the group to take legal action.

“Secrecy Without Accountability”

“This is not just red tape — it’s a blackout,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The American people deserve transparency about how their government is wielding power, especially when it’s tied to extreme political agendas operating from the shadows.”

Perryman’s statement criticized DHS and ICE for “carrying out public actions with public dollars while operating in secrecy,” suggesting that public trust is eroded when policy decisions are shielded from oversight.