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PolicyNumber:10075.1FEANumber:306·112·0026
Office
of
theDirector
U.S.Department
of
HomelandSecurity
500
12thStreet,
SW
WasWngton,D.C.20536
June17,2011
u.s.
I m m i g r a t i o ~
andCustomsEnforcement
MEMORANDUMFOR:FROM:SUBJECT:Purpose
AU
FieldOfficeDirectorsAllSpecialAgentsinChargeAllChiefCounselJohnMortDirectorExercisingProsecutorialDiscretionConsistentwiththeCivilhnmigrationEnforcementPriorities
of
theAgencyfortheApprehension,Detention,andRemoval
of
AliensThismemorandumprovidesU.S.hnmigrationandCustomsEnforcement(ICE)personnelguidanceontheexercise·ofprosecutorialdiscretiontoensurethattheagency'simmigrationenforcementresourcesarefocusedontheagency'senforcementpriorities.Thememorandumalsoservestomakeclearwhichagencyemployeesmayexerciseprosecutorialdiscretionandwhatfactorsshould
be
considered.Thismemorandumbuildsonseveralexistingmemorandarelatedtoprosecutorialdiscretionwithspecialemphasis
on
thefollowing:•SamBernsen,ImmigrationandNaturalizationService(INS)GeneralCounsel,LegalOpinionRegardingServiceExercise
of
ProsecutoriaIDiscretion(July15,1976);•BoCooper,INSGeneralCounsel,INSExerciseofProsecutorialDiscretion(July11,2000);•DorisMeissner,INSCommissioner,ExercisingProsecutorialDiscretion(November
17,
2000);•BoCooper,INSGeneralCounsel,MotionstoReopenforConsiderations
of
Adjustment
of
Status(May17,2001);•William
J.
Howard,PrincipalLegalAdvisor,ProsecutorialDiscretion(October24,2005);•JulieL.Myers,AssistantSecretary,ProsecutorialandCustodyDiscretion(November
7,
2007);
..
JohnMorton,Director,CivilImmigrationEnforcementPrioritiesfortheApprehension,Detention,andRemoval
of
Aliens(March2,2011
);and
•JohnMorton,Director,ProsecutorialDiscretion:CertainVictims,Witnesses,andPlaintiffs(June17,2011).
www.ice.gov
iSi
 AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 11061734. (Posted on 06/17/11)
 
ExercisingProsecutorialDiscretionConsistentwiththePriorities
of
theAgency
for
the
.
Appreher;sion,Detention,
and
Removal
of
Aliens
Thefollowingmemorandarelatedtoprosecutorialdiscretionarerescinded:•Johnny
N;
Williams,ExecutiveAssociateCommissioner(EAC)forFieldOperations,SupplementalGuidanceRegardingDiscretionaryReferralsforSpecialRegistration(October
31,2002);
and•JohnnyN.Williams,EACforFieldOperations,SupplementalNSEERSGuidanceforCall-InRegistrants(January
8,2003).
BackgroundOne
of
ICE's
centralresponsibilitiesistoenforce
t h ~
nation'scivilimmigrationlawsincoordinationwithU.S.CustomsandBorderProtection(CBP)andU.S.Citizenshipand.ImmigrationServices(USCIS).ICE,however,haslimitedresourcestoremovethoseillegally
in
theUnitedStates.ICEmustprioritizetheuse
of
itsenforcementpersonnel,detentionspace,andremovalassetstoensurethatthealiensitremovesrepresent,asmuchasreasonablypossible,theagency'senforcementpriorities,namelythepromotion
of
nationalsecurity,bordersecurity,publicsafety,andtheintegrity
ofthe
immigrationsystem.Theseprioritiesareoutlined
in
theICECivilImmigrationEnforcementPrioritiesmemorandum
of
March
2,2011,
whichthismemonindumisintendedtosupport.Becausetheagencyisconfrontedwithmoreadministrativeviolationsthanitsresourcescanaddress,theagencymustregularlyexercise"prosecutorialdiscretion"
if
it
istoprioritizeitsefforts.Inbasicterms,prosecutorialdiscretionistheauthority
of
anagencychargedwithenforcingalawtodecidetowhatdegreetoenforcethelawagainstaparticularindividual.ICE,like
any
otherlawenforcementagency,hasprosecutorialdiscretionandmayexercise'it
in
theordinarycourse
of
enforcement1.WhenICEfavorablyexercisesprosecutorialdiscretion,
it
essentiallydecidesnottoassertthefullscope
of
theenforcementauthorityavailabletotheagency
in
agivencase.
In
thecivilimmigrationenforcementcontext,theterm"prosecutorialdiscretion"appliestoabroadrange
of
discretionaryenforcementdecisions,includingbutnotlimitedtothefollowing:•deciding
to
issueorcancelanotice
of
detainer;•decidingtoissue,reissue,serve,file,
or
cancelaNoticetoAppear(NTA);•focusingenforcementresources
on
particularadministrativeviolations
or
conduct;•decidingwhomtostop,question,orarrestforanadministrativeviolation;•decidingwhomtodetain
or
toreleaseonbond,supervision,personalrecognizance,
or
othercondition;•seekingexpeditedremoval
or
otherforms
of
removal
by
meansother
thana
formalremovalproceeding
in
immigration
coUrt;
I
The.Meissnermemorandum'sstandardforprosecutorialdiscretioninagivencaseturnedprincipally
on
whetherasubstantialfederalinterestwaspresent.Underthismemorandum,
the
standardisprincipallyone
of
pursuingthose
Cases
thatmeettheagency'sprioritiesforfederalimmigrationenforcementgenerally.
2
•
2E&
&2
 AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 11061734. (Posted on 06/17/11)
 
is
ExercisingProsecutorialDiscretionConsistentwiththePriorities
of
theAgency
for
theApprehension,Detention,
and
Removal
of
Aliens
•settling
or
dismissingaproceeding;•grantingdeferredaction,grantingparole,
or
stayingafinalorder
of
removal;•agreeingtovoluntarydeparture,thewithdrawal
of
anapplicationforadmission,
or
otheraction
in
lieu
of
obtainingaformalorder
of
removal;•pursuinganappeal;•executingaremovalorder;and•respondingto
or
joining
in
amotiontoreopenremovalproceedingsandtoconsiderjoining
in
amotiontograntrelieforabenefit.AuthorizedICEPersonnelProsecutorialdiscretion
in
civilimmigrationenforcementmatters
is
held
by
theDirector
2
andmay
be
exercised,withappropriatesupervisoryoversight,
by
thefollowingICEemployeesaccordingtotheirspecificresponsibilitiesandauthorities:•officers,agents,andtheirrespectivesupervisorswithinEnforcementandRemovalOperations(ERO)whohaveauthoritytoinstituteimmigrationremovalproceedings
or
tootherwiseengage
in
civilimmigrationenforcement;•officers,specialagents,andtheirrespectivesupervisorswithinHomelandSect¢.tyInvestigations(HSI)whohaveauthoritytoinstituteimmigrationremovalproceedings
or
tootherwiseengage
in
civilimmigrationenforcement;•attorneysandtheirrespectivesupervisorswithintheOffice
of
thePrincipalLegalAdvisor(OPLA)whohaveauthoritytorepresentICE
in
immigrationremovalproceedingsbeforetheExecutiveOfficeforImmigrationReview(EOIR);and•theDirector,theDeputyDirector,andtheirseniorstaff.ICEattorneys
may
exerciseprosecutorialdiscretion
in
anyimmigrationremovalproceedingbeforeEOIR,
on
referral
of
thecasefromEOIRtotheAttorneyGeneral,
or
duringthependency
,of
anappealtothefederalcourts,includingaproceedingproposed
or
initiated
by
CBP
or
USCIS.
If
anICEattorneydecidestoexerciseprosecutorialdiscretiontodismiss,suspend,orcloseaparticularcase
or
matter,theattorneyshouldnotifytherelevantERO,HSI,CBP,
or
USCISchargingofficialaboutthedecision.
In
theeventthereisadisputebetweenthechargingofficialandtheICEattorneyregardingtheattorney'sdecisiontoexerciseprosecutorialdiScretion,theICE
Chief
Counselshouldattempttoresolvethedisputewiththelocalsupervisors
of
thechargingofficiaL
If
localresolution
is
notpossible,themattershould
be
elevatedtotheDeputyDirector
of
ICEforresolution
..
2
Delegation
of
AuthoritytotheAssistantSecretary,ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement,DelegationNo.7030.2(November13,2004),delegatingamongotherauthorities,theauthoritytoexerciseprosecutorialdiscretioninimmigrationenforcementmatters(asdefined
in
8U.S.C.
§
I10I(a)(17»..
3
 AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 11061734. (Posted on 06/17/11)
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