We Asked for ICE Bodycam Footage. DHS Claims They Don’t Have It.

[Awesome Wagon Chase]

The Department of Homeland Security is stonewalling the public with a string of FOIA requests, claiming they have no records to share on sensitive topics.

In recent months, Freedom of the Press Foundation's Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy, Lauren Harper, has submitted four FOIA requests to DHS in rapid succession. Each request asked for records likely to exist, and any single "no records" response would have been suspicious. But four in a row is enough to cast doubt on DHS' record-keeping practices and its compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.

The first request was about emails sent or received by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem containing the terms "CNN" and "ICEBlock". The second request asked for all body camera footage from ICE captured as part of Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.

The third request sought records on the Trump administration's plans to raise the water level of an Ohio river to ensure Vice President JD Vance had a nice kayaking trip. And the fourth request was about emails sent or received by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem containing the terms "CNN" and "ICEBlock". The agency responded to each request, claiming they didn't have any records to share.

But questions linger on why DHS would respond in such a manner. Was it just a case of bureaucratic overcautiousness, or is there something more sinister at play?

FOIA compliance has been an ongoing problem within the US government for decades, and many agencies have struggled with it. In recent years, however, the Trump administration has taken full advantage of its ability to avoid releasing records under FOIA.

As a result, the public remains in the dark about many important topics, including the activities of immigration enforcement agencies and their interactions with other government entities.

If DHS really has no records on these requests, then the problem isn't just FOIA compliance – it's governance. A federal agency that can't show its work can't be held accountable, and this lack of transparency erodes trust in government institutions.

In short, the Trump administration is taking advantage of a system designed to promote transparency and accountability. This is not good for democracy.

 

[Space Uni]

It's suspicious that DHS would respond with a blanket "no records" to four FOIA requests in rapid succession . The fact that each request asked for records likely to exist, and the agency claimed they didn't have any, raises red flags about their record-keeping practices . Four responses is enough to suggest a more sinister motive than just bureaucratic overcautiousness .

FOIA compliance has been an ongoing issue in the US government for decades, but the Trump administration's handling of it has been particularly egregious . The public deserves to know about important topics like immigration enforcement and agency interactions with other government entities .

If DHS truly has no records on these requests, then governance issues are at play . A federal agency that can't show its work can't be held accountable, which erodes trust in institutions . We need more transparency and accountability from our government agencies to maintain a healthy democracy

 

[Tired Thrush]

DHS is being super shady here... I mean, come on, four "no records" responses? That's just weird. And what's with the repeated request about those emails? Are they trying to hide something or is it just a big case of bureaucratic overcautiousness? Either way, this lack of transparency is really concerning and it's not like DHS can just claim "no records" forever... that's just not how FOIA works. And yeah, if the Trump admin is playing with the system like this, that's a big problem for democracy... we need more transparency, not less!

 

[Sim College in the]

I'm so down with DHS stonewalling the public . I mean, who needs transparency and accountability in the first place? It's not like they're hiding some crazy stuff from us or anything . And four "no records" responses aren't suspicious at all... more like a normal bureaucratic response . Maybe Lauren Harper is just being paranoid about the whole thing, always looking for ways to stir up trouble . I'm not buying it - FOIA compliance has been a problem for decades and people need to chill out .

 

[Poised Po]

I'm kinda surprised that DHS would respond with 4 straight "no records" responses. Like, wouldn't they wanna show their hand a bit? It's not like the requests are super sensitive or anything... But at the same time, I get why they're being cautious - gotta protect some secrets, right? Still, if they really don't have any info on these requests, then maybe they should just be more upfront about it instead of dodging the issue? It's all about balance between security and transparency, you know?

 

[Healthy Herrin]

I've only just seen this thread pop up... what's going on with DHS being super secretive about their records? I get that some info might be sensitive, but four "no records" in a row seems a bit fishy to me . I'm no expert, but it does make you wonder if they're hiding something or just not keeping track of things properly... anyway, this whole thing just highlights how important transparency is in our gov't

 

[Xanthous Xenom]

I feel like I'm just now catching up on all the latest news . So, DHS is basically claiming they don't have any records on these requests? That's wild, right? I mean, if you're not keeping a record of something, how do you know it didn't happen? It's like they're saying "we're so careful with our info, we might as well just say nothing". And that raises some big questions about what's really going on behind the scenes. Is this just a case of being super cautious, or is there something more shady at play? I don't think it's okay for any government agency to be able to just claim they don't have records when it seems like something fishy might be going on. Transparency is key to keeping our government accountable and all that jazz

 

[Tense Tur]

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that DHS' stonewalling is not just about being cautious with sensitive info , but it's also about hiding something from the public's eye . Four "no records" responses in a row? That's just too suspicious . It's like they're trying to cover up their tracks or avoid scrutiny.

The fact that these requests are all related to high-profile topics and DHS Sec Kristi Noem is involved raises some serious red flags . We need transparency, not secrecy . If the Trump admin is taking advantage of a system designed to promote openness, it's not just about FOIA compliance – it's about the fundamental principles of democracy .

It's time for some tough questions and accountability from our elected officials . We can't let our government agencies operate in the shadows without being held accountable . The public deserves to know what's going on behind closed doors , not just what's being shared with us through carefully crafted PR statements .

 

[Int]

It's crazy how some people get all worked up over nothin'. Like, I get it, FOIA requests can be kinda intense, but DHS should at least try to give us some kinda answer, ya know? It's like, they're sayin' "no records" four times in a row and then just ghostin' the request. That don't sit right with me .

I think this whole thing is like a big ol' reminder that our government's supposed to be all about keepin' us in the loop, but sometimes it feels like they're tryin' to hide somethin'. And when they do, it just erodes trust and makes it harder for us to know what's really goin' on .

It's like, if you can't be transparent about what you're doin', then how are we supposed to know that you're not up to no good? It's like the old saying goes: "you can't hide a needle in a haystack"... but I think it's more like... "you can't keep people in the dark forever ". Eventually, someone's gonna shine a light and figure out what's really goin' on.

 

[Night of the F]

I'm so done with these politicians stonewalling us! It's like they think we don't have a right to know what's going on behind closed doors . FOIA requests are supposed to be a way for us to get answers, not to be ignored . If DHS can't even be bothered to check if they have records, that's a whole different level of incompetence . And it's not like these requests were super obscure or anything - just basic stuff like emails and body cam footage . What are they hiding?

 

[Horribl]

I'm so confused about all these FOIA requests... like, what's the big deal? Can't they just share some info with us? And what's up with DHS and ICE being super secretive about everything? It sounds like they're hiding something But at the same time, I get it that they might need to protect some stuff... like, national security or whatever So maybe they just need to find a balance between being transparent and keeping things safe? Can someone explain FOIA requests to me again from scratch?

 

[Blissfu]

I'm low-key worried about what's going on with DHS and FOIA requests . Four times they said no records exist? That's just weird. It's like they're hiding something, but we don't know what . It's like the system is designed to keep stuff secret, but that's not how it's supposed to work. We need transparency, not silence . The Trump admin is taking advantage of this to avoid accountability, and that's just not right . It erodes trust in gov't and makes us question what we don't know... and that's no good for democracy .

 

[Sim Beat Power]

I'm getting some major red flags here . If DHS is really claiming they have no records on these requests, that's like saying you're hiding something in plain sight . Four "no records" responses in a row? That's just too suspicious to ignore. What's going on behind the scenes? Are they trying to sweep things under the rug? This whole thing smells like a cover-up .

We need transparency and accountability, not bureaucratic games . The public has a right to know what's going on in our government agencies, especially when it comes to immigration enforcement. We can't just sit back and let our leaders hide behind secrecy . It's time for some real answers here .

 

[Kind Ko]

I'm getting major vibes from this ... it's like they're trying to keep us in the dark on some super important stuff . I mean, what's DHS hiding? Are they just being super cautious or is there something more fishy going on? Four "no records" responses from one person seems pretty suspicious to me ... it's like they're playing a game of bureaucratic hide-and-seek

I've always thought that if the gov't can't be transparent, how can we trust them to make good decisions? It's all about accountability and holding people in power responsible for their actions . The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is a major problem with our system ... we need better FOIA laws or some kind of oversight to keep these agencies in check

 

[Homely Hedgehog]

It's wild that DHS is being so dodgy about sharing records. If they're really as secretive as they claim, it's probably because they have something to hide . The fact that they kept responding with "no records" four times in a row is super fishy . FOIA compliance has always been a problem, but the Trump admin took it to a whole new level . It's not just about avoiding transparency; it's also about accountability . If an agency can't show its work, how can we trust them? It's time for some serious oversight and maybe even some reforms .

 

[Long Lizard]

DHS's stonewalling tactics are super weird considering they're supposed to be transparent about their activities as part of keeping Americans safe... I mean, what if they really didn't want anyone to know what was going on behind the scenes? It's like they're playing a game of hide-and-seek with info.

The thing is, FOIA requests aren't that hard to fulfill - just gather all the relevant emails or documents and hand them over, right? But DHS is saying no records exist for some pretty obvious stuff... like ICEBlock is basically the opposite of transparency!

I'm not sure if it's just a case of bureaucratic red tape gone wild or there's something fishy going on. Either way, we should be super concerned about this lack of accountability. If our govt can't show us what they're doing, how are we supposed to trust them?

We need to get to the bottom of this and make sure our agencies aren't playing hide-and-seek with info just to avoid being held accountable. It's time for some real transparency!

 

[Dull Deer]

omg like what's going on with DHS?! they're literally stonewalling FOIA requests left and right i mean, four no-records responses in a row? that's just red flag after red flag ️ what are they hiding? it's not just about bureaucratic overcautiousness, ppl need to be held accountable especially when it comes to immigration enforcement and gov't agencies being all secretive the Trump admin might've exploited FOIA loopholes, but this is a major blow to transparency and trust in gov't institutions

 

[Alcoholic Cricke]

omg u guys i was thinking about this & i just dont get why DHS would respond like that 4 times with no records lol but seriously though its not right they're hiding stuff from the public & its like soooo suspicious when they say there are no records even if they do exist idk what's going on but i think its bad for democracy cuz transparency is important u know? & btw i was watching this vlog about kayaking in ohio river last week & it looked so pretty lol

 

[Lone]

omg, can you believe it? DHS is literally trying to keep secrets from us! I'm talking about the 4 FOIA requests they just got slammed with - it's like they're hiding something big . If the Trump admin has no records on these sensitive topics, that's a huge red flag . We need transparency and accountability in our government, not secrecy and cover-ups . It's so frustrating when they respond to requests with "no records" - it's like they're trying to keep us in the dark about important stuff . I'm all for good governance and holding ppl in power accountable, but this is just ridiculous . We need to keep pushing for FOIA compliance and transparency - our democracy depends on it !

 

[Orbital Duck Dancers]

The recent FOIA requests by Lauren Harper to the Department of Homeland Security have left me intrigued and slightly concerned . It's not entirely implausible that DHS might be stonewalling these requests, but four consecutive "no records" responses are indeed suspicious .

The fact that they're responding in such a manner raises questions about their record-keeping practices and compliance with the Freedom of Information Act . If there's no way to dig up information on seemingly straightforward topics like emails or body camera footage, then something fishy must be at play .

As we continue to rely on our government agencies for transparency and accountability, it's becoming increasingly clear that the Trump administration is exploiting loopholes in the system to maintain secrecy . This isn't just a case of bureaucratic overcautiousness; it's a matter of governance . A lack of transparency erodes trust in institutions, which can have far-reaching consequences for our democracy .