EOIR Fact Sheet on FOIA Request Filings

U.S. Department of Justice

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Office of the Director

5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2600

Falls Church, Virginia 22041

FACT SHEET    

Contact:    Office of Legislative and Public Affairs

(703) 305-0289 Fax: (703) 605-0365

Internet:    www.usdoj.gov/eoir

October 9, 2008

How to File a Freedom of Information Act Request with EOIR

To file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), your request:

·          Must be in writing, either handwritten or typed.

·          Must describe the records you seek.

·          Must include identifying information such as the full name of the alien whose records you are requesting, the date and court location of the proceedings, and the alien registration number (if known).

To request information about yourself, your request must include either:

·          A completed Form DOJ-361  (do not use the Department of Homeland Security

Form G-639), or

·          A notarized statement from a notary public who has witnessed your signature on the request, or

·          The following statement, written immediately above your signature on the request: “I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on [date].”

To request information about another individual, or on behalf of another individual, your request must include a notarized statement from that individual giving his or her consent to release the information to you.

To request information about a deceased individual, your request must include proof of the individual’s death. (Proof of death may be a death certificate, newspaper obituary, or some other form of comparable proof.)

For more information see http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/efoia/foiafact.htm.

If you have any further questions, please contact the FOIA Service Center at (703) 605-1297.

–– EOIR ––

Office of Legislative and Public Affairs

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is an agency within the Department of Justice. Under delegated authority from the Attorney General, immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals interpret and adjudicate immigration cases according to United States immigration laws. EOIR’s immigration judges conduct administrative court proceedings in immigration courts located throughout the nation. They determine whether foreign-born individuals—who are charged by the Department of Homeland Security with violating immigration law—should be ordered removed from the United States or should be granted relief from removal and be permitted to remain in this country. The Board of Immigration Appeals primarily reviews appeals of decisions by immigration judges. EOIR’s Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer adjudicates immigration-related employment cases. EOIR is committed to ensuring fairness in all of the cases it adjudicates.