On August 1, 2018, David Ferriero, archivist of the United States, responded to the AHA’s letter opposing the destruction of US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records. In his response, Ferriero outlined the review process for proposed records schedules, which included a mandatory public comment period. NARA staff “received an unprecedented number of comments” on ICE’s proposed records schedule, and ICE will be required to amend the proposed schedule based on these public comments. NARA will respond to comments via a public notice in the Federal Register and has added the AHA to the list of contacts to inform as NARA moves on to the next phase of the review process.
The National Coalition for History (NCH) also called on Congress to investigate claims of the apparent disappearance or destruction of records by the Department of Homeland Security connecting migrant children with their parents, a potential violation of the Federal Records Act. The NCH sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs urging Congress to “exercise its oversight responsibility in ensuring that federal agencies are held accountable for their responsibilities” under the records act.