Case Number: 19-2272

DOJ Records of Clinical Visits, Daily Logs, and Injury Claims During Brooklyn MDC 2019 Power Outage

October 6, 2020
Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons records on events during the power outage during January and February 2019 at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn (Brooklyn MDC). These records include clinical visit information, daily logs, temperature checks, and claims for damage, injury, or death related to the power outage.

DOJ Emails Regarding Brooklyn MDC Power Outage


July 13, 2020
Email communications from the Department of Justice regarding the status of the Brooklyn MDC power outage and media relations. These emails contain communications from Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and a letter from the Federal Defenders Of New York sent to Chief Judge Dora L. Irizarry. In the letter, Deirdre von Dornum describes the terrible conditions at Brooklyn MDC, including people not receiving their medications and a lack of light.

News Roundup: From the Top Down

September 27, 2019
Efforts to get Ukraine to investigate the president's perceived rivals have been known for months. We want to know how many were involved.
(White House Photo)

Federal Bureau of Prisons Withheld Records Response Regarding Complaints of Detainees at the Brooklyn MDC

August 16, 2019
Response from the Federal Bureau of Prisons stating that the bureau is withholding records responsive to American Oversight's request for complaints of detainees at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) crisis, where detainees were subjected to an extended period without heat or electricity.

Withheld Records Response from DOJ Regarding Communications Concerning the Brooklyn MDC Crisis

August 16, 2019
Response from the Department of Justice stating that the department is withholding records responsive to American Oversights request for communications of high-ranking officials concerning the crisis at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where detainees were subjected to an extended period without heat or electricity.

Federal Bureau of Prisons Withheld Records Response Regarding Communications Related to the Brooklyn MDC Crisis

August 16, 2019
Response from the Federal Bureau of Prisons stating that the bureau is withholding records responsive to American Oversight's request for communications containing terms related to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) crisis, where detainees were subjected to an extended period without heat or electricity.

News Roundup: “Remain in Mexico,” New Lawsuits, and Trump’s Friend Tom Barrack

August 2, 2019
Documents we uncovered show that a question asking asylum-seekers whether they had fear of being returned to Mexico was scrapped before the new Remain in Mexico policy was finalized.

American Oversight Sues Justice Department over Brooklyn Jail’s Inhumane Winter Conditions

July 30, 2019
The lawsuit is the latest in an effort to reveal what actions officials took — or failed to take — during the prolonged power and heat outage earlier this year.
(Photo: Matt Green)

Complaint: American Oversight v. DOJ – Brooklyn MDC

July 30, 2019
American Oversight’s lawsuit against the Department of Justice for records concerning how the DOJ and the Bureau of Prisons responded to the inhumane conditions, including dangerously cold temperatures, at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center during January and February of 2019. American Oversight sought these records to determine whether officials took appropriate action to prevent and remedy the emergency.

FOIA to DOJ Seeking Communications Concerning the Brooklyn MDC Crisis

February 27, 2019
FOIA to DOJ seeking communications of high-ranking officials concerning the crisis at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where detainees were subjected to an extended period without heat or electricity.