Topic: Civil Rights

No Records Response from OIP Concerning MOU Agreements About Protest Surveillance

July 14, 2020
The Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy stated that it had no records responsive to American Oversight's request for interagency Memorandum of Understanding agreements on data-sharing about protests.

Records Request to Georgia Attorney General for Texts About Black Lives Matter Protests

July 14, 2020
Records request to the Georgia Attorney General seeking text messages regarding the Black Lives Matter protests.

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.

No Records Response from DHS Regarding Law Enforcement Tracking of Protesters

July 10, 2020
The Department of Homeland Security stated that it had no records responsive to American Oversight's request for databases or other documents used to track or surveil protesters and guidance or directives regarding such surveillance.

FOIA to DOD for Records Showing Law Enforcement Agencies Prohibited from Receiving Surplus Equipment Under the 1033 Program

July 10, 2020
FOIA request to the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), within the Defense Logistics Agency of the Department of Defense (DOD), asking for records showing which state and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from receiving surplus equipment from the federal government, under the DOD 1033 Program.

FOIA to DOD for Records of the Agency’s Denials of Property Requests Under the DOD 1033 Program

July 10, 2020
FOIA to the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), within the Defense Logistics Agency of the Department of Defense, asking for records about agency’s denials of property requests from state and local law enforcement agencies, under the DOD 1033 Program, over the last several years.

No Records Response from DOJ Regarding Denaturalization Section

July 9, 2020
The Department of Justice stated that it had no records responsive to American Oversight's request for records (including guidance or mandates) concerning the operations, policies, and standards of the Denaturalization Section within the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation.

Investigations Update: Mike Pompeo’s Abuses of Office, Trump’s Loyalty Purges, and Caring for Uninsured Covid-19 Patients

July 8, 2020
From voting rights to the pandemic, here's a look at our new investigations from the past week.
Mike and Susan Pompeo in January 2019

Conditions in Migrant Detention Centers

July 5, 2020
Squalid conditions, overcrowding, cold temperatures, inadequate medical care, and even tragic deaths — the emergence of disturbing reports and images from migrant detention facilities added a troubling layer to the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration stance.

FOIA to DOD Seeking Options Presented to White House in Response to Protests

July 2, 2020
FOIA to the Department of Defense seeking briefings of “show of force” options presented to officials at the White House in response to protests in Washington, D.C.