The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal statute. FOIA generally provides that any person has a right to request access to federal agency records. FOIA also establishes a presumption that records in the possession of agencies and departments of the Executive Branch of the U. S. government are accessible to the people, except to the extent the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.

Beginning August 2, 2015, DHS will conduct a six-month pilot to test the feasibility of publishing records released to individuals under the FOIA on our website, except those that fall under the Privacy Act of 1974. Basically, a release to one person will result in a result to everyone. Any records requested after July 6, 2015, may be posted here in the FOIA Library. Comments or concerns may be sent to releasetoall@usdoj.gov.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A FOIA REQUEST