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Immigrant groups sue over ICE policy that hid thousands of detainees from public locator

Immigrant groups sue over ICE policy that hid thousands of detainees from public locator

Rule Changes Boston, MA local

Four legal aid groups, represented by the ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center, argue the September 15 policy severs detainees from legal counsel

October 28th, 2026: Legal aid groups file suit in federal court in Boston

Overview

Updated Oct 31

Four legal aid groups sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in federal court in Boston on October 28 over a policy that removed people with final deportation orders from the agency's public detainee locator. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, asks a judge to block the policy and to pause it while the case proceeds.

The September 15 change stripped those detainees from the Online Detainee Locator System, which had listed where people in ICE custody were held for more than 16 years. Greater Boston Legal Services, Rian Immigrant Center, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and Amica Center for Immigrant Rights are the plaintiffs; the National Immigration Law Center and the ACLU are among the groups representing them. About 1.4 million people in the U.S. have final removal orders, the Associated Press reported.

Why it matters

Families lose the only public way to confirm where a detained relative is held, and lawyers cannot find clients to represent them.

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Key Indicators

Thousands
detainees removed from public locator
People with administratively final orders of removal disappeared from ODLS overnight on September 15.
4
plaintiff organizations
Greater Boston Legal Services, Rian Immigrant Center, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and Amica Center for Immigrant Rights filed the suit.
1.4 million
people with final removal orders in the U.S.
Figure cited by the Associated Press for people subject to final orders of removal, not the number held in custody.

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People Involved

JB
Jacquelynne Bowman
Executive director, Greater Boston Legal Services
Plaintiff organization leader in the locator lawsuit

Organizations Involved

Greater Boston Legal Services
Greater Boston Legal Services
Legal aid nonprofit
Lead plaintiff

Massachusetts' largest civil legal aid provider, representing low-income residents across housing, benefits, family, and immigration matters.
Rian Immigrant Center
Rian Immigrant Center
Immigrant services nonprofit
Plaintiff

Boston-based organization providing legal, counseling, and support services to immigrants, formerly known as the Irish Immigration Center.
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts
American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts
Civil liberties nonprofit
Co-counsel for the plaintiff organizations

State chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, litigating constitutional and civil rights cases across Massachusetts.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Federal law enforcement agency
Defendant

Federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security responsible for immigration detention and removal operations.
Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project
Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project
Legal services nonprofit
Plaintiff

Legal services organization that is one of four named plaintiffs challenging the ICE locator policy.
Amica Center for Immigrant Rights
Amica Center for Immigrant Rights
Legal services nonprofit
Plaintiff

Immigrant legal services organization and one of four named plaintiffs in the locator lawsuit.

Timeline

September 2026 October 2026

2 events Latest: October 28th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago

  1. Legal aid groups file suit in federal court in Boston

    Latest Legal

    Greater Boston Legal Services, Rian Immigrant Center, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and Amica Center for Immigrant Rights challenge the policy in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and ask the judge to stay it while the case proceeds. The National Immigration Law Center, the ACLU and the ACLU of Massachusetts are among their lawyers.

  2. ICE policy removes thousands from public locator database

    Policy Change

    People with administratively final orders of removal vanished from the Online Detainee Locator System overnight, leaving families unable to find them.

Scenarios

1

Federal judge blocks ICE policy, orders detainees relisted

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: ACLU of Massachusetts; immigration law attorneys following the case

The court grants a preliminary injunction, finding the policy deprives detainees of access to counsel and violates due process. ICE must restore ODLS listings for people with final removal orders while the case proceeds.

2

Court upholds ICE policy

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Federal immigration law observers

The judge finds the policy falls within ICE's statutory discretion over detention operations and dismisses the case or grants summary judgment for the government. Families must rely on attorneys and other channels to locate detainees.

3

ICE partially restores locator access under litigation pressure

Unlikely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Immigration advocacy groups; Department of Homeland Security watchers

As the case advances, ICE announces a revised policy restoring ODLS listings for some categories of people with final removal orders, such as those still in custody awaiting removal, while contesting others in court.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

May-July 2018

Family separation crisis and Ms. L v. ICE (2018)

The Trump administration's zero tolerance policy separated thousands of children from parents at the southern border. The government lost track of hundreds of children's locations, prompting the ACLU to sue on behalf of a mother whose child was missing.

Then

Federal judge Dana Sabraw ordered reunification by fixed deadlines in June and July 2018, keeping the case under close supervision as the government scrambled to account for each child.

Now

Established that courts can compel the government to track and account for detained immigrants, even during large-scale operations.

Why this matters now

Shows courts can force transparency and accountability when government opacity threatens the rights of people in custody.

September 2001-September 2003

Post-9/11 incommunicado detention fight (2001-2003)

After 9/11, the Justice Department held hundreds of immigrants as material witnesses and on immigration charges, many without charges or public information. A coalition including the ACLU sued under the Freedom of Information Act to force disclosure of detainee names.

Then

In Center for National Security Studies v. DOJ (2003), the D.C. Circuit allowed the government to withhold the names, citing national security.

Now

Created a precedent that courts may defer to executive claims about detainee information, limiting public oversight.

Why this matters now

Illustrates the opposite outcome — courts accepting government opacity about detainees — which the current case may follow.

Sources

(6)
Universal Hub ACLU of Massachusetts American Immigration Council American Civil Liberties Union National Immigration Law Center The Press Democrat (Associated Press)