9th Cir.;
16-15342

The court of appeals affirmed a district court judgment. The court held that the privacy interest of former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees outweighed any public interest in the release of their names.

In February 2013, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that, due to “fiscal uncertainty,” it was releasing from detention a number of non-citizens who were in removal proceedings. Edward Tuffly, treasurer of the National Border Patrol Council, the union for border patrol agents, sought to compel disclosure, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), of the names of 149 ICE detainees released from five Arizona detention facilities. When the government refused to provide the individuals' names or other identifying information, Tuffly filed suit.