Lawsuit Seeks to Compel the Release of Information about Stephen Miller’s Influence, Evasive Measures by Enforcement Agents

Washington, D.C. — Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for unlawfully withholding public records related to the Trump-Vance administration’s extreme immigration enforcement actions reportedly led by White House official Stephen Miller and in coordination with far-right groups. 

The complaint, brought under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeks to compel the agencies to promptly release documents that would shed light on high-level coordination between DHS and ICE officials and individuals associated with America First Legal (AFL)—a far-right group co-founded by Miller—and on ICE’s controversial use of plainclothes, masked agents to carry out mass arrests while not providing or wearing identification.

“These are public institutions carrying out public actions with public dollars—yet they are operating in secrecy without accountability,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The American people have a right to know how and why these aggressive immigration policies are being implemented, and whether those policies are being driven by individuals outside of government with extreme political agendas.”

The lawsuit follows multiple unanswered FOIA requests sent between February and May 2025, seeking communications between White House, DHS, and ICE officials and AFL staff, including Miller, White House so-called Border Czar Tom Homan, and AFL Vice President Gene Hamilton; internal ICE policies related to the use of face coverings and disguises by immigration officers; and records concerning ICE raids in cities like Chicago, Boston, and New York, including any coordination with TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw.

This case is part of Democracy Forward’s broader effort to expose unlawful actions and our commitment to demanding transparency and holding public institutions accountable to the people they serve. Under FOIA, federal agencies are required to respond to public records requests within a set timeframe and cannot withhold information unless it falls under specific, limited exemptions.  

Democracy Forward’s legal team in this case includes Daniel McGrath, Anisha Hindocha, and Robin Thurston.

Read the full complaint here.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, visit www.democracyforward.org.