Thousands of immigrants whose personal information and even locations are held by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office could be in some danger if their identity is revealed.
The agency The immigration agency acknowledged that it accidentally published on its website the personal information of 6 immigrants who requested protection after having been victims of torture or persecution.
The The disclosure includes names, dates of birth, nationalities and locations, the Los Angeles Times revealed.
The complaint was made public by the lawyers of those affected, quoted by the newspaper.
All the immigrants, who claimed to be victims of torture and persecution in their countries of origin, are currently in ICE custody.
People from Iran, Russia, China and Mexico are part of those affected.
The lawyers for the immigrants have said that the information revealed may cause retaliation against their clients by the individuals, gangs or governments they are fleeing, and puts them at risk of death.
Federal regulations prohibit disclosure, without approval from the Department of Security National (DHS), personal information of applicants for asylum or other immigration protections.
ICE told the newspaper that it has begun an investigation into the publication of the information, which it described as “unintentional” , and stated that it is taking the “necessary corrective measures”.
Diana Rashid, a lawyer for the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), denounced that the information of a Mexican woman who is a client of hers was revealed and that she is “deeply concerned for the safety” of that woman.
“She is seeking protection from deportation because she fears persecution if she returns to her home country. Revealing this information makes her more vulnerable to the persecution and abuse she fears if she is deported,” she added.
With information from EFE