A coalition of Illinois organizations filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Aug. 17 against the Department of Homeland Security to obtain information about discriminatory activities post 9/11. DHS never responded to the original FOIA request. The organizations filing the suit work closely on civil liberties and immigrant rights: American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center, and the Muslim Civil Rights Center. The organizations requested information on the number and nationality of those detained or deported by the federal government in Illinois, and more specifically, under Operation Tarmac, Operation Chicagoland Skies, Operation Landmark, and Operation Liberty Shield. Additionally, the groups asked for information about those detained under Section 412 of the USA Patriot Act. The groups hope that obtaining this basic information about government activities will help them and their clients understand the scope and impact of post-9/11 security measures on immigrants in Illinois. The original FOIA request was submitted to two bureaus within DHS in September 2003. Under the law, federal agencies must respond to FOIA requests within 20 business days. Backlogs of FOIA requests are common at other agencies, and as such, requestors often get a response indicating that agency will require additional time to properly reply. DHS never sent any response to the Illinois groups' request. In its first years in existence DHS has already come under intense criticism for being overly secretive and unresponsive. Several FOIA lawsuits and other secrecy challenges have already been filed against the agency. DHS also extends its penchant for secrecy into the courtroom, using the unconventional tactic of filing classified evidence which neither the public nor the plaintiffs are permitted to see.