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Tags: Freedom of Information Request | Backlog | Homeland Security | IRS

Freedom of Information Request Backlog Hits 50,000 at DHS

By    |   Tuesday, 21 October 2014 04:00 PM EDT

Those seeking documents from the Department of Homeland Security will likely have to wait for their requests to be filled.

According to a new report released this month from the DHS Privacy Office, the agency now has a backlog of more than 50,000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, The Hill reported, with most of those related to immigration records.

The office, which must report annually to Congress, said for fiscal year 2013, requests went up a record-setting 18 percent, hitting a total of 231,534. It will rely on contractors as well as staff directed at the largest backlogs, according to the report.

The department noted that about 95 percent of the requests were from agencies like the Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration Services, The Hill noted.

Promoting its latest developments, the department noted in the report that it has set up new ways for requests to be filed online by members of the media and public. The office is also at work on mobile apps as well as a privacy policy geared at protecting sensitive data requested through those.

The Homeland FOIA backlog follows on the heels of the IRS' backlog, which it says came as a result of the investigation of into tea party malfeasance, The Hill noted.

DHS said in its report that it had processed 204,332 requests during 2013, down 1 percent from fiscal year 2012, when the agency reported a 33 percent decrease in its backlog.

The Homeland FOIA backlog follows on the heels of the IRS' backlog, which it says came as a result of the investigation of into tea party malfeasance, The Hill noted.

By contrast, however, the IRS' FOIA backlog numbered 188 requests in 2012 and 217 in fiscal year 2013.

In 2013, the total FOIA requests received by all federal agencies totaled 704,394, according to nextgov.com.

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Those seeking documents from the Department of Homeland Security will likely have to wait for their requests to be filled.
Freedom of Information Request, Backlog, Homeland Security, IRS
327
2014-00-21
Tuesday, 21 October 2014 04:00 PM
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