Legal aid groups sue to stop ICE from hiding locations of detainees with final deportation orders

The groups say the policy, which removed those detainees from ICE's Online Detainee Locator System and from answers to families and lawyers, blocks them from finding and representing clients, according to the ACLU, which is among their lawyers. The suit alleges violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, the First Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act, and asks the court to vacate the policy.

The plaintiffs are Greater Boston Legal Services, Rian Immigrant Center, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. The claims have not yet been tested in court.

Why it matters: People with final removal orders can still pursue some legal remedies, the groups say, and the case will test how much the government must disclose about where it holds immigration detainees.