Mich. Immigrant Rts. Ctr. v. DHS, No. 16-14192, 2020 WL 5627088 (E.D. Mich. Sept. 21, 2020) (Goldsmith, J.)

Mich. Immigrant Rts. Ctr. v. DHS, No. 16-14192, 2020 WL 5627088 (E.D. Mich. Sept. 21, 2020) (Goldsmith, J.)

Re:  Request for records concerning policies, practices, and procedures regarding apprehensions, detentions, enforcement actions, and complaints

Disposition:  Denying plaintiffs' motion for sanctions

• Litigation Considerations:  The court holds that "Plaintiffs' motion . . . is denied."  "While Defendants' conduct, in many respects, has been underwhelming and hardly a model of efficient and professional executive action, the Court cannot find that Defendants' recent bungling was deliberate or motivated by an improper purpose."  Additionally, "[w]hether a court's inherent authority grants it the power to do what Plaintiffs request – sanction an agency for recklessly disregarding the risk that underfunding or understaffing the agency's FOIA division will predictably result in disobedience to court orders – is best left for another day."  "What cannot be left for another day is Plaintiffs' failure to prove that Defendants recklessly disregarded such a risk, or that Defendants' disregard of that risk caused their failure to comply with the Court's order."