Through exclusive and investigative reporting by Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press was first to reveal that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed thousands of detainees with final removal orders from its public locator system on September 15. The change was confirmed by three current and former ICE officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
Leveraging deep subject-matter expertise and key sources, Foley reported that those affected included eight Somali men held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. American Civil Liberties Union attorney My Khanh Ngo noted the policy change could make challenging deportations “nearly impossible.”
Other outlets subsequently matched the story, and The Washington Post explicitly credited AP’s scoop. The reporting sparked immediate sectorwide impact, with major advocacy groups, including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, issuing public statements and briefing reporters on the implications.
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