FOIA Controversy
By: Whitney Ray
Updated: August 23, 2007
Documents given to the ACLU about a federal program have caused some discontent between federal agencies and agencies in northwest Arkansas. The controversy centers on several Freedom of Information Act requests regarding the 287 (g) program. Attorneys for Rogers, Springdale, Benton County and Washington County had 72 hours to respond to FOIA requests from the ACLU last Thursday. They handed over the documents this week, but that upset officials from the Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agency who are concerned about what information was in the documents.
“They didnt contain any sensitive information,” said Benton County Attorney Robin Green. “There was nothing in the documents that we possessed that said anything about any active or ongoing investigations.”
Attorneys say they dont expect the controversy tol affect the applications for the 287 (g) program.
