CREW sues DHS and USCIS for records on data sharing agreements with states

CREW is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS) following their failure to respond to requests for records on DHS’s data sharing agreements with states and state entities for the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (“SAVE”) program.

The Trump administration has drastically expanded the SAVE program, allowing state agencies for the first time to conduct bulk searches of citizens’ and immigrants’ sensitive personal data  to purge voter rolls of people they deem ineligible based on that data. The administration’s rapid expansion of the SAVE program has raised substantial concern about the accuracy of its information and the safeguards in place to protect personally identifiable information.

Previously, CREW filed expedited FOIA requests seeking all data-sharing agreements between DHS and states to shed light on how it is permitting states to access and use federal data to verify voting eligibility and to potentially purge voter rolls. The public has a right to know the scope of the SAVE program and the measures in place to protect their personal information. The government should immediately and fully process the FOIA requests and disclose all relevant communication and records to CREW.