Students in our Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic recently helped secure a major legal victory in federal court, advancing efforts to increase transparency around the treatment of Black immigrants in detention. 

In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case the clinic (along with co-counsel) filed in the Eastern District of New York , the district court granted a motion for partial summary judgment from the bench, marking a turning point in the fight to compel U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to disclose key data. The motion—drafted and argued by the clinic—sought to compel the government to provide “unique ID” numbers that would allow their clients, researchers, and advocates to link records of abuse and misconduct in certain immigration detention facilities with ICE’s demographic data, including the race of individuals in custody. 

Several teams have done significant research on this issue, including recently graduated students Rob Cook '25, Keisy Germosen '25, and Stacy Moses '25, who drafted the successful motion under the supervision of Teaching Fellow Ellie Norton. 

“Working on this case was so meaningful, especially at a time like now, when it feels more important than ever to hold the government accountable for its actions and ensure that the government is being transparent when it comes to its procedures, policies, and processes,” Moses said. 

Norton noted that "the students did an extraordinary job developing a strong record and litigating the motion for partial summary judgment."