Why do I need a request for the FOIA?

• ​It is important that you know what information the government has about you.

• You will have to answer questions that have probably been asked by the government before and you will want to know what to say so as to not make any mistakes.

• You will want to make sure you do not have a deportation case open without your consent.

• You may need a copy of a document that you do not have but that the government has on file for you.

• For many other reasons..

Where should I ask for the FOIA?

• To the government department with whom you had contact with. There are several government agencies that can be contacted to obtain the information. We will help you send your FOIAs to the appropriate departments for your specific case.

How long are the FOIAs delayed?​

• Depending on the government department that is present, the FOIAs can take between 3 to 12 months. On several occasions, it may take 24 months to get an answer. Time does not depend on our office, but on the government.

​If the government does not have any information on my case, what should I do?

• Many times it is possible for the government to answer you that you do not have information when you really do have it. In many cases, we must request the information again with additional elements or we can request information from another government department to make sure that the government’s response is correct.

What is the cost for FOIAs?

• Many government agencies do not charge anything. Some may charge between 18 to 25 dollars.

• Our office charges $500 to help you process each FOIA. This charge is an addition to the state or federal government charge.

​

-----

In the United States, there is a mechanism that asks government offices for public information that may be related to us or that affects us.

Immigrants leave a record with the government every time they have any contact with a government authority. For example, if you tried to cross the border undocumented and were stopped by the border patrol, then you have a record with CBP, that is, the border patrol. If you applied for political asylum, or for any other benefit years ago and were denied or approved for the benefit, there is a record with USCIS that is the immigration office. If you were arrested in a raid and removed from the United States, there is a record of you with ICE, that is the deportation office. To be able to take any immigration procedure, it is very important to know your record with the immigration department before continuing any process.