Chief FOIA Officer Weekly Report
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FOIA Activity for the Week of December 16 - 29, 2011 Privacy Office January 3, 2012 Weekly FOIA Report I. Efficiency and Transparency-Steps taken to increase transparency and make forms and processes used by the general public more user-friendly, particularly web-based and FOIA related items: • On December 14, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office of Citizenship and Office of Public Engagement held a meeting to discuss citizenship education strategies for older applicants. The conversation focused on barriers older applicants commonly encounter while preparing for citizenship, including the need for appropriate educational instruction, tools, and resources to help them prepare for the entire naturalization process. • On December 15, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a draft Request for Evidence template, I-129 L-1 “Intracompany Transferees: Qualifying Relationship/Ownership and Control/Doing Business,” for review and comment by stakeholders. Comments are due January 17, 2012. • On December 16, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted a teleconference in English and in Spanish to discuss the process of re-registration under the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Honduras and Nicaragua. Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals must re- register for an extension of TPS by January 3, 2012. In view of the fast approaching the deadline, USCIS responded to stakeholder concerns regarding the re-registration process and to remind stakeholders of the importance of filing for TPS in a timely manner. • On December 20, 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) created a new section in their online FOIA Library entitled “Office of Detention Oversight Detention Facility Compliance Inspections.” • On December 20, 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted the following documents to their online FOIA Library: 1) the 2011 Santa Ana Jail Compliance Inspection report; 2) the Secure Communities Fiscal Year 2011 3rd Quarter Congressional report; and 3) Fiscal Year 2011 year-to-date Secure Communities Nationwide Interoperability Statistics. • On December 23, 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted the following documents to their online FOIA Library: 1) the 2011 Glades County Detention Center Compliance Inspection report; 2) the 2011 Morgan County Adult Detention Center Compliance Inspection report; and 3) the Henderson Detention Center Compliance Inspection report. • On December 23, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would change the filing locations for Form I-130, “Petition for Alien Relative.” Effective January 1, 2012, domestic petitioners must mail their stand-alone I-130 applications to either the Chicago Lockbox or the Phoenix Lockbox, depending on where they reside in the United States. The new 1 filing locations will be updated with the corresponding addresses on January 1 on the Form I-130 “Direct Filing Locations” page. This effort will balance workloads between the two locations and provide more efficient and effective processing of Form I-130. • On December 27, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminded the sheepherding industry of the upcoming expiration of the one- time accommodation giving them more time to fully transition to the three-year limitation-of-stay requirements for the H-2A nonimmigrant classification. • On December 27, 2011, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminded its stakeholders that the open re-registration period for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Honduras and Nicaragua ends on January 5, 2012. II. FOIA Requests • On December 16, 2011, Himanshu Ojha, a data journalist with Thomson Reuters in New York, New York, requested from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) a copy of all FOIA requests submitted to USCIS from any news organization regarding the EB-5 program since January 1, 2010 to the present. (Case Number COW2011001173). • On December 19, 2011, Larry W. Bryant, a journalist with UFO Magazine in Alexandria, Virginia, requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the following records: 1) any and all correspondence; briefing papers/charts; minutes of meetings; policy documents; staff studies; interview reports; witness statements; serious-incident reports; intelligence estimates; temporary-duty reports; and after- action reports pertaining to the confiscation of a named individual's library book and alleged DHS interaction at said individual’s place of employ. (Case Number DHS/OS/PRIV 12-0142). • On December 19, 2011, Scott MacFarlane, a Washington correspondent with Cox Media Group in Washington, DC, requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) a list of all purchases, including items purchased and costs, made via DHS purchase cards in Ohio or North Carolina, that were reviewed for DHS-OIG report #OIG-11-101, entitled Use of DHS Purchase Cards. (Case Number OIG FOIA #2012-032). • On December 19, 2011, Scott MacFarlane, a Washington correspondent with Cox Media Group in Washington, DC, requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) all documents pertaining to OIG’s investigation of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employee who pled guilty to stealing from passenger luggage at Orlando International Airport as reported on page 34 of the DHS-OIG’s April-September 2011 Semi-Annual Report to Congress. (Case Number OIG FOIA #2012-033). • On December 19, 2011, Anjan Mukherjee, a research associate with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) in Washington, DC, requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) any correspondence, including electronic, to DHS from or on behalf of the office of former U.S. 2 Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT) between September 1, 1987 and January 3, 2009. (Case Number DHS/OS/PRIV 12-0149). • On December 20, 2011, Kate Brumback, a reporter with The Associated Press in Atlanta, Georgia, requested from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the following records: 1) all grievances filed by detainees at Steward Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia; and 2) any reports, documents, emails, letters, memoranda, or other documents regarding any grievances filed by detainees since the facility opened in October 2006. (Case Number 2012FOIA03635). • On December 20, 2011, Christopher Cook, an individual, requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records concerning Occupy Wall Street to include correspondence of any kind relating to Occupy Wall Street-related protests with the White House, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Mayor’s Offices of the following cities: San Francisco and Oakland (CA), Denver (CO), Philadelphia (PA), Chicago (IL), and New York City (NY). (Case Number DHS/OS/PRIV 12- 0147). • On December 20, 2011, Shawn Hils, a research associate at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) in Washington, DC, requested from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the following records: 1) any correspondence, including electronic, to the department from or on behalf of Janesville, Wisconsin resident Mark Neumann, House candidate Mark Neumann (R- WI) (1992-1995), Congressman Mark Neumann (R-WI) (1995-1999), Senate candidate Mark Neumann (1999) or gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann (2010); 2) any correspondence, including electronic, to the Department from or on behalf of Matt Neumann or Matthew K. Neumann or Sue Neumann or Susan Neumann; 3) any records related to, or correspondence, including electronic, to the Department from or on behalf of: Neumann Enterprises, Inc., from 1999-2008; Neumann Developments, Inc., from 1992-2000; 2005-2009; Neumann Solar Leasing, LLC, from 2/2011- present; Neumann Dodge County, LLC from 2004-2008; Neumann & Son, LLC, from 2004-2005; Neumann Construction, Inc., from 1989-present; Neumann Realty from 1994-present; Neumann Homes of Illinois from 1994-present; Neumann Corp from 1981-present; Gar Mar, Inc. from 1994-present; Gustaveson Homes, Inc., from 1994-2008; Gustaveson Quality Homes Inc., from 2008-present; Gustaveson Neumann LLP from 2003-present; Sunvest Solar, Inc. from 2011-present; Renewable Energy Solutions from 2010-present; Solar Innovations, Inc., from 2009-present; Strawberry Glen Homeowners Association, Inc., from 2007-present; Black Walnut Estates Homeowners Association from 2009-present; Autumn Ridge Subdivision Homeowners Association, LLC, in 2006; Chicory Creek Homeowners Association, LLC, in 2006; Milwaukee River Ridge, LLC from 2007-2008; Home Sale Services, LLC, from 2009-present; Lake Drive Water Utility, LLC, from 2004-present; Neumann Companies, Inc., from 2009-present; MN Solar Leasing, LLC; from 2/2011-present; Mason Creek Homeowners Association, Inc., from 2005-present; SG Developments of Jackson, LLC, from 2010-present; Sherman Parc Homeowners Association, Inc., from 2009-present; Venture Marketing or Venture Consulting & Marketing, Inc., from 1993-2008; Brookstone Homes, Inc., from 1992-present; KPM, Inc.; Webco Homes; 4) records of any regulatory rulings or enforcement actions 3 naming the above companies; and 5) records of any tax credits or grants issued by the Department or its agencies naming the above companies or individuals. (Case Number DHS/OS/PRIV PRIV 12-0150). • On December 20, 2011, Daniel Newman,