| Agency Demands $111,930 For Database Description |
| (18 Mar 2010)
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) filed a protest today with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The protest objects to a demand that the university-based data research organization pay the agency $111,930 for a description of the information in one of its databases.
The protest, in the form of a letter to USCIS, reminds the head of the agency's Freedom of Information/Privacy Office of the Obama Administration's December 8, 2009 Open Government Government Directive declaring that openness and transparency would be the touchstones of the government and instructing the agencies to take concrete steps to improve public access to government information.
The information TRAC requested describes one of the databases used by the agency to track its processing of requests for naturalization that USCIS receives. The FOIA request had been pending in the agency without a response for nearly 4 years -- 1,316 days. For immediate access to TRAC's special report on USCIS demands and the letter of protest to the agency go to: http://trac.syr.edu/foiaTRAC is self-supporting and depends on foundation grants, individual contributions and subscription fees for the funding needed to obtain, analyze and publish the data we collect on the activities of the US Federal government. To help support TRAC's ongoing efforts, go to: http://trac.syr.edu/sponsor |
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