The Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) is the primary point of contact for the U.S. Congress. OCR focuses on promoting a greater understanding of ICE operations, policies, programs and initiatives among members of Congress, congressional committees, and their staff.
Mission
OCR serves as the primary liaison to Congress for ICE. OCR is committed to providing Members of Congress and their staff with timely, relevant, and accurate information regarding ICE missions, priorities, and programs. OCR can be reached by telephone at (202) 732-4200 or by email at CongressToICE@ice.dhs.gov. All other inquires should be directed to the Office of Public Affairs or the Office of Partnership and Engagement.
Roles and Responsibilities
| Issue | Agency |
|---|---|
| Ports of Entry, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. border apprehensions, statistics, etc. | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) |
| Interior enforcement, detention centers, removals, worksite enforcement, 287(g) program, alternatives to detention, cultural property repatriation, Intellectual Property Rights Center, etc. | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
| Citizenship, citizenship for spouses, naturalization, immigration benefits, asylum, E-Verify, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, etc. | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) |
| Status of immigration court cases – Executive Office for Immigration Review and Board of Immigration Appeals | Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) |
| Refugees, placement/sheltering for unaccompanied alien children, etc. | Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS/ORR) |
| TSA PreCheck, REAL ID, airports, baggage screening, etc. | Transportation Security Administration (TSA) |
Online Detainee Locator
Facility Locator
Correspondence Guide
ICE Form 60-001
Privacy Waiver Authorizing Disclosure to a Third Party
Private Immigration Relief Bills
Fact Sheets
Congressional Testimony
Congressional Reporting Requirements
Facility Visits and Operational Ride-Along Guidance for Members of Congress and Staff
Constituent Correspondence Guide
The Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) is committed to assisting Congressional staff with constituent casework. By following the guidance below, you can help us expedite Congressional correspondence and get your constituents the answers they need, faster.
Where do I send my inquiry?
Email: CongressToICE@ice.dhs.gov (This is preferred and will get you the fastest response.)
Mail: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Congressional Relations, 500 12th Street SW, Mailstop 5008, Washington, DC 20536
To whom should I address an inquiry?
Sean M. Hackbarth
(Acting) Assistant Director
Office of Congressional Relations
What should I include in my correspondence?
- A Congressional staff point of contact, including a phone number and email.
- A brief description of the issue. This helps us assign your inquiry to the right subject matter expert.
- A return address if you would like a hard copy response. All other responses will be electronic.
IMPORTANT: All correspondence must be on the Congressional member's stationery and signed by the member.
What about the statement from the constituent?
The constituent's statement should be clear, specific, and detailed. Typed statements are preferable; illegible documents delay the response in the correspondence process. Please include all supporting documentation including the constituents legal name and if applicable, A-number and date of birth. If you are inquiring on behalf of a constituent, you must have a privacy release form signed by the individual who is the subject of the inquiry before we can assist you. The authorization must clearly state the individual is authorizing ICE to release his or her personal information to your office (as opposed to a general statement that you are looking into a matter on his or her behalf).
When will I get a response?
The timeframe for a response varies based on the complexity and nature of your inquiry. Some responses can take more than 90 days. However, we make every effort to answer your inquiry as quickly and efficiently as possible.
What if I still have questions?
OCR is happy to help however we can. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need additional assistance. Give us a call at (202) 732-4200 or email CongressToICE@ice.dhs.gov. Our office hours are Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
ICE Form 60-001 – Privacy Waiver Authorizing Disclosure to a Third Party
ICE Form 60-001 designed with immigration proceedings in mind. Those who have applied for or received any of the following immigration benefits are legally entitled to confidentiality:
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Seasonal Agricultural Worker
- Asylum
- T Visa (for trafficking victims)
- Battered Spouse/Child Seeking Hardship Waiver
- U Visa (for victims of certain crimes)
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
For the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to share information regarding these types of benefits, the beneficiary/recipient must affirmatively waive their confidentiality rights. The ICE privacy wavier form specifically addresses this requirement. Waiving of these rights is not required; however, if the beneficiary/recipient does not waive these rights, DHS may be unable to disclose some or all of the information requested.
Note: The privacy waiver must be signed by the person to who the information pertains.
Non-Disclosure of Information Protected under 8 U.S.C. Section 1367
- Protects any information relating to aliens and their beneficiaries who are seeking or have been approved for immigrant status as:
- Battered spouses, children and parents under provisions of [the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)];
- Victims of a severe form of human trafficking who generally are cooperating with law enforcement authorities (T Visas); or
- Victims who have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities (U Visas).
- Beneficiaries include all individuals named on the application.
- To release information about one individual, ICE must have consent from all adult individuals on the application.
Private Immigration Bills
Private immigration bills introduced by members of Congress generally operate as a last resort for an alien, or a group of aliens, who have exhausted ordinary administrative and judicial immigration remedies. Most private immigration bills are introduced with the intent to protect an alien-beneficiary from removal or confer lawful permanent resident (LPR) status on alien-beneficiaries, by circumventing the normal immigration law framework, including inadmissibility grounds and legal requirements that ordinarily apply to those seeking LPR status.
Policy
ICE Policy Number 5004.3, Stays of Removal and Private Immigration Bills (January 31, 2025), outlines the policy, procedures, and responsibilities ICE will adhere to when considering and issuing temporary stays of removal for alien-beneficiaries in conjunction with private immigration bills. The directive states:
- ICE will consider and, on a case-by-case basis and at ICE’s discretion, issue a stay of removal for an individual associated with a private immigration bill only if the Chair of the full Committee or Subcommittee of jurisdiction expressly makes a written request that ICE stay the alien-beneficiary’s removal, independent of any request for an investigative report. A request for an investigative report will no longer trigger an automatic stay of removal.
- ICE will not grant an alien-beneficiary more than one stay of removal through the private immigration bill process. As such, ICE will not honor subsequent requests for a stay of removal from the Chair of the Committee or Subcommittee of jurisdiction for an alien-beneficiary who has already received a stay through the private immigration bill process.
- The duration of a stay of removal will be limited to six months. However, the ICE Director, at his or her discretion, can provide a one-time 90-day extension beyond the initial six-month stay if specifically requested in writing by the Chair of the Committee or Subcommittee of jurisdiction and, if necessary, to accommodate extenuating circumstances.
- ICE will take appropriate action, including revocation of the stay of removal and removal of the alien-beneficiary, in cases where ICE discovers derogatory information about an alien-beneficiary after issuing a stay of removal. ICE will notify the appropriate Committee or Subcommittee of the action it takes.
Process
Request for Investigative Report: The Chair of the Judiciary Committee (or appropriate Subcommittee) must formally request in writing on Committee letterhead an investigative report for the alien-beneficiary/ies of private immigration relief legislation introduced in the appropriate chamber of Congress. The request should be addressed to the ICE Director (or Acting Director) and include the name(s) of the alien-beneficiary/ies, A-number, private immigration bill number, and the date of introduction. In addition, to expedite production of the report, each alien-beneficiary (or interested third party) should complete ICE Form G-79A, Information Relating to Beneficiary of Private Bill and ICE Form G-382, Private Bill Data Sheet. The letter of request and accompanying forms should be provided to the ICE Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) for processing. In most cases, once the requisite forms are received, ICE OCR anticipates a formal, written response will be provided to requestor within 30 to 90 days, depending on the number of beneficiaries involved and the complexity of each case.
Private Immigration Relief Legislation – Introduced and Enacted
A list of private immigration relief bills introduced and enacted from the 110th Congress (2007-2008) to present can be found here. Note all information in this report is derived from public sources (see www.congress.gov).
Congressional Reporting Requirements
Access to Due Process
Agreements pursuant to section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (823 USC 2357(g))
Custody Operations
- Facility Inspections
- Detainee Death Reporting
- Detention Facilities
- 2011 Operations Manual ICE Performance-Based National Detention Standards
- Prison Rape Elimination Act – Implementation of Protections
Immigration Detention Contract Transparency
- See “Detention Facility” tab in the ICE FOIA Library
Office of Congressional Relations
OCR represents ICE on Capitol Hill through a broad variety of congressional liaison activities that promote greater awareness of ICE operations and national and local policies as well as the agency's various programs and initiatives. OCR partners closely with ICE leadership and the Department of Homeland Security to execute these liaison efforts.