{"id":1920,"date":"2026-04-30T03:33:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/?p=1920"},"modified":"2026-04-30T03:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:33:04","slug":"what-public-records-reveal-about-cooperation-between-ice-and-local-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/ethnic-media-services\/what-public-records-reveal-about-cooperation-between-ice-and-local-police\/","title":{"rendered":"What Public Records Reveal About Cooperation Between ICE and Local Police"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Experts warned at a meeting organized by American Community Media (ACoM) that, despite state laws designed to limit collaboration with immigration authorities, information-sharing between local police departments and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues through opaque and often informal channels.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE remains difficult to track, even in states that have enacted legislation to restrict it. Emails, shared databases, and informal notifications are among the mechanisms through which this relationship continues to function, according to experts in journalism, law, and immigration policy who took part in a virtual meeting organized by ACoM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting brought together journalists, attorneys, and researchers with extensive experience in public records and immigration policy. Participants included David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition; Thadeus Greenson, a journalist specializing in court reporting and public policy; Elizabeth Clemons, director of training and development at MuckRock; and Austin Kocher, an academic researcher who studies deportation systems and cooperation between law enforcement agencies and immigration authorities in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion underscored the challenges journalists, civil society organizations, and members of the public face when seeking access to information that would clarify how and when this cooperation takes place. Although laws guarantee the public\u2019s right to know, agencies frequently rely on delays, denials, or broad interpretations of legal exemptions to restrict access to records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loy argued that the lack of transparency in this area is deliberate. \u201cImmigration-related decisions affect fundamental rights, and that is why many agencies are particularly reluctant to release information\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, public records have been essential in showing that, in practice, cooperation with ICE does not always align with state law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In California, for instance, documents obtained through public records requests have exposed data exchanges and communications that occur before individuals are released from custody. \u201cThese practices rarely appear in official statements. They only come to light when someone persistently requests the relevant documents\u2019\u2019, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Institutional Opacity and the Role of Journalism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a journalistic standpoint, Thadeus Greenson noted that many of these investigations begin at the local level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are usually no public announcements about collaboration with ICE. What exists instead are administrative traces: emails, contracts, internal memos\u2019\u2019, he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Greenson, the main challenge is not only gaining access to the records, but sustaining the reporting process in the face of institutional resistance. \u201cThe strategy of many agencies is to wear you down. They\u2019re betting that the journalist will eventually give up\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that context, he stressed the importance of understanding public records laws and pursuing legal remedies when responses are delayed or incomplete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital tools have also strengthened this type of investigative work. Clemons explained that specialized platforms help organize requests and detect patterns of opacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven a denial is information. A lack of transparency also tells you how an institution operates\u2019\u2019, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data, Lawsuits, and Accountability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an academic perspective, Kocher explained that cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement does not rely solely on formal agreements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt often happens through everyday practices, administrative decisions, or shared databases,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This fragmentation, she warned, makes it harder to identify accountability and evaluate the true impact of immigration enforcement policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kocher emphasized that actions taken inside a local jail or police station can have direct consequences for the national deportation system. \u201cWithout access to data, public debate remains abstract\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another issue discussed was the role of lawsuits as a last resort for obtaining information. Loy explained that when public records requests fail, the courts become a critical venue for defending the public\u2019s right to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the fastest path, but in many cases, it\u2019s the only one,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to her, several court rulings have forced law enforcement agencies to release documents detailing their interactions with immigration authorities, setting precedents that make future investigations easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery legal victory expands access to information for everyone\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting concluded with a shared warning: investigating cooperation between ICE and local police requires time, persistence, and resources, particularly as newsrooms face mounting constraints. Still, panelists agreed that this work is essential for understanding how power is exercised and how these practices directly affect migrant communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as immigration policies continue to shape the lives of millions, access to public information will remain a vital tool for demanding transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lo que revelan los registros p\u00fablicos sobre la cooperaci\u00f3n entre ICE y la polic\u00eda local<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Especialistas advirtieron en un encuentro organizado por American Community Media (ACoM) que, pese a las leyes estatales que limitan la colaboraci\u00f3n con autoridades migratorias, el intercambio de informaci\u00f3n entre fuerzas policiales locales y el Servicio de Inmigraci\u00f3n y Control de Aduanas persiste a trav\u00e9s de mecanismos poco transparentes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

La cooperaci\u00f3n entre la polic\u00eda local y el Servicio de Inmigraci\u00f3n y Control de Aduanas (ICE) contin\u00faa siendo una pr\u00e1ctica dif\u00edcil de rastrear, incluso en estados que han aprobado leyes para restringirla. Correos electr\u00f3nicos, bases de datos compartidas y notificaciones informales forman parte de los canales mediante los cuales esta relaci\u00f3n sigue operando, seg\u00fan coincidieron especialistas en periodismo, derecho y pol\u00edticas migratorias durante un encuentro virtual organizado por ACoM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El encuentro reuni\u00f3 a periodistas, abogados e investigadores con amplia experiencia en acceso a la informaci\u00f3n y pol\u00edticas migratorias. Participaron David Loy, director legal de la First Amendment Coalition; Thadeus Greenson, periodista especializado en cobertura judicial y de pol\u00edticas p\u00fablicas; Elizabeth Clemons, directora de capacitaci\u00f3n y desarrollo de MuckRock; y Austin Kocher, investigador acad\u00e9mico enfocado en sistemas de deportaci\u00f3n y cooperaci\u00f3n entre agencias policiales y migratorias en Estados Unidos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

El debate puso en evidencia las dificultades que enfrentan periodistas, organizaciones civiles y ciudadanos para acceder a informaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica que permita comprender c\u00f3mo y cu\u00e1ndo se produce esta cooperaci\u00f3n. Aunque existen leyes que garantizan el derecho a saber, las agencias suelen recurrir a retrasos, negativas o interpretaciones amplias de las excepciones legales para limitar el acceso a los registros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loy sostuvo que la opacidad en este \u00e1mbito no es casual. \u201cLas decisiones vinculadas a inmigraci\u00f3n afectan derechos fundamentales, y por eso muchas agencias son especialmente reacias a entregar informaci\u00f3n\u201d, dijo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seg\u00fan explic\u00f3, los registros p\u00fablicos han sido clave para demostrar que, en la pr\u00e1ctica, la cooperaci\u00f3n con ICE no siempre se ajusta a lo que establecen las leyes estatales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En California, por ejemplo, documentos obtenidos mediante solicitudes de informaci\u00f3n han revelado intercambios de datos y comunicaciones previas a liberaciones de personas detenidas. \u201cEstas pr\u00e1cticas rara vez aparecen en comunicados oficiales. Salen a la luz cuando alguien insiste en pedir los documentos adecuados\u201d, afirm\u00f3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opacidad institucional y el rol del periodismo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desde el \u00e1mbito period\u00edstico, Thadeus Greenson se\u00f1al\u00f3 que muchas de estas investigaciones comienzan a nivel local. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo suele haber anuncios p\u00fablicos sobre la colaboraci\u00f3n con ICE. Lo que existe son rastros administrativos: correos, contratos, memorandos internos\u201d, explic\u00f3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Para Greenson, el principal obst\u00e1culo no es solo acceder a los documentos, sino sostener el proceso frente a la resistencia institucional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLa estrategia de muchas agencias es el desgaste. Apuestan a que el periodista se rinda\u201d, dijo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

En ese contexto, remarc\u00f3 la importancia de conocer las leyes de acceso a la informaci\u00f3n y de contar con respaldo legal cuando las respuestas no llegan o son incompletas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Las herramientas digitales tambi\u00e9n han permitido fortalecer este tipo de investigaciones. Clemons explic\u00f3 que plataformas especializadas ayudan a sistematizar solicitudes y a identificar patrones de opacidad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncluso una respuesta negativa es informaci\u00f3n\u201d, se\u00f1al\u00f3. \u201cLa falta de transparencia tambi\u00e9n revela c\u00f3mo opera una instituci\u00f3n\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Datos, demandas y rendici\u00f3n de cuentas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desde el \u00e1mbito acad\u00e9mico, Kocher explic\u00f3 que la colaboraci\u00f3n entre ICE y las fuerzas locales no depende \u00fanicamente de acuerdos formales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMuchas veces se da a trav\u00e9s de pr\u00e1cticas cotidianas, decisiones administrativas o uso compartido de bases de datos\u201d, se\u00f1al\u00f3. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esta fragmentaci\u00f3n, advirti\u00f3, dificulta identificar responsabilidades y evaluar el impacto real de las pol\u00edticas migratorias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kocher subray\u00f3 que lo que ocurre en una c\u00e1rcel o comisar\u00eda local puede tener consecuencias directas en el sistema nacional de deportaciones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSin acceso a datos, el debate p\u00fablico se queda en abstracciones\u201d, afirm\u00f3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otro de los puntos abordados fue el uso de demandas judiciales como \u00faltima v\u00eda para acceder a informaci\u00f3n. Loy explic\u00f3 que, cuando las solicitudes fracasan, los tribunales se convierten en un espacio clave para defender el derecho del p\u00fablico a saber. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo es el camino m\u00e1s r\u00e1pido, pero en muchos casos es el \u00fanico\u201d, dijo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seg\u00fan detall\u00f3, distintos fallos judiciales han obligado a agencias policiales a entregar documentos sobre su interacci\u00f3n con autoridades migratorias, estableciendo precedentes que facilitan futuras investigaciones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCada victoria legal ampl\u00eda el acceso a la informaci\u00f3n para todos\u201d, se\u00f1al\u00f3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El encuentro concluy\u00f3 con una advertencia compartida: investigar la cooperaci\u00f3n entre ICE y la polic\u00eda local requiere tiempo, persistencia y recursos, en un contexto en el que las redacciones enfrentan crecientes limitaciones. Sin embargo, los panelistas coincidieron en que se trata de una tarea indispensable para entender c\u00f3mo se ejerce el poder y c\u00f3mo estas pr\u00e1cticas afectan directamente a comunidades migrantes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mientras las pol\u00edticas migratorias contin\u00faen teniendo consecuencias profundas en la vida de millones de personas, el acceso a la informaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica seguir\u00e1 siendo una herramienta central para exigir transparencia y rendici\u00f3n de cuentas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experts warned at a meeting organized by American Community Media (ACoM) that, despite state laws designed to limit collaboration with immigration authorities, information-sharing between local police departments and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues through opaque and often informal channels. Cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE remains difficult to track, even in states […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,686,194,295,9,81],"tags":[1257,1277,196,1040,696,130,2873,3324,86],"class_list":["post-1920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advertisement","category-american-community-media","category-california-black-media","category-condado-de-sonoma","category-ethnic-media-services","category-santa-rosa","tag-acom","tag-american-community-media","tag-california","tag-donald-trump","tag-ice","tag-immigration","tag-lavozcalifornia","tag-migrantcommunities","tag-usa"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1923,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1920\/revisions\/1923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavoz.us.com\/homepage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}