Freedom of Information On Both Sides of the Border

Putlizer Prize-winning journalist Martha Mendoza has reported extensively in the United States and Mexico. She offers these tips for navigating the bureaucracies: 

United States FOIA: Make requests directly to through each agency's website

Three tips for using US FOIA from Mexico

1. Email if you can. If not, fax. Call the agency if they say you have to mail your request and explain that "mail is unreliable" in Mexico.

2. Ask for your responses to come in electronic format.

3. You do not need to be a US citizen to make a request.

A few favorite U.S. agencies to FOIA for immigration issues:

Treasury Department (www.treasury.gov)

What to ask for: seized assets, repatriated cash, money laundering investigations

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (www.uscis.gov)

What to ask for: someone's immigration file, changes in policy, enforcement practices

State Department (www.state.gov)

What to ask for: Merida spending, embassy correspondence, treaty reports

Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov)

What to ask for: disciplinary cases, private firm contracts, correspondence with Mexico

Customs and Border Protection (www.cbp.gov)

What to ask for: incident reports, violent assault data, corruption cases

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (www.ice.gov)

What to ask for: private firm contracts, incarceration mortality rates, seizure data

Executive Office for Immigration Review

What to ask for: asylum statistics, discipline case files

Mexico FOIA:

Three tips for using Mexico FOIA from US.

1. Check your Infomex site weekly; they don't tell you when responses are in.

2. Be patient with the online interface. It's buggy and slow.

3. You do not need to be a Mexican citizen to make a request.

A few favorite Mexican agencies to FOIA for investigating the border:

National Insitute of Public Health (El Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica)

What to ask for: tuberculosis rates, binational public health issues

President (Presidencia)

What to ask for: immigration data, talking points on immigration

Ministry of Defense (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional)

What to ask for: immigration and customs training, immigration security

Ministry of Finance (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público)

What to ask for: repatriated currency, correspondence with Treasury, banking policies

Ministry of Foreign Relations (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores)

Attorney General (Procuraduria General de la Republica)

What to ask for: prosecution and conviction rates, seized weapons, forensics

Politics & Money: Follow the Trail

Here are some examples of how to access information about political donations: 

What assets does Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) have?

www.legistorm.com → John Sullivan → Financial Disclosures → Sullivan, Rep. John (-OK) → 2010 - Annual (What about earmarks?)

Who funded Sen. Tom Coburn’s campaign?

http://www.opensecrets.org → Tom Coburn → Coburn, Tom (R-OK) → Top 5 Contributors, 2005-2010, Campaign Cmte → ...view more data

www.fec.gov → Oklahoma → Choose a Senator → Thomas Coburn → Itemized Individual Contributions →

Who funded Arizona Senate Majority Leader Scott Bundgaard’s campaign?

www.az.gov → government → State Agency Directory → R-Z → Secretary of State → Candidate Campaign Finances → campaign finances → Search the Financial Reporting Database → Race Type: Legislative → Scott Bundgaard

Who is lobbying and donating on behalf of the Birthright Citizenship Bill?

www.opencongress.org → bills → HR140 → moneytrail

Who is leading the Federation for American Immigration Reform and how much are they paid?

http://www.guidestar.org → Federation for American Immigration Reform → Forms 990s and Docs → 2009 Form 990