Where can applicants find official ICE/DHS guidance or FOIA releases about age-waiver approvals and historical statistics?

1. Where to look first: DHS and ICE official pages

DHS’s central FOIA hub explains how to submit requests, fee rules and the FOIA process and points to component contact details and the DHS FOIA Library where frequently released records are posted — use these pages to see existing releases before filing a request ^{[1] [7] [2]}. ICE’s own newsroom and statistics pages publish agency statements and regular enforcement statistics (arrests, detentions, breakdowns by country and criminal history) and are the natural first stop for recruitment or operational announcements and for high‑level historical numbers ^{[5] [4]}.

2. What the public record shows right now on age limits

Multiple news outlets reported DHS/ICE removing age caps for ICE law‑enforcement applicants in August 2025; those reports cite DHS/ICE announcements that age limits were being lifted — but the coverage is based on the department’s public statements rather than a one‑page technical policy detailing every waiver category ^{[6] [8] [9]}. For applicants, the recruitment webpages and ICE press releases are the immediate places to confirm current hiring criteria and announcements ^{[5] [10]}.

3. Where to find statistics on enforcement and detention

ICE’s statistics page contains historical ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) arrest and detention tables and breakdowns by criminal history and country of citizenship; reporters and analysts have used those files to track trends such as the share of people in custody without criminal records ^{[4] [11]}. For the most recent, agency‑released tallies and standard data tables, consult ICE’s statistics portal first ^[4].

4. If you need internal waiver records or granular historical approvals: file a FOIA

DHS explains how to submit FOIA requests, how requests are processed, fee rules and appeals; the department also maintains a FOIA processing page with timing and tracking info, and component FOIA contact lists that let you direct a request to ICE’s FOIA office ^{[3] [12] [1]}. If ICE does not publish age‑waiver counts or approval memos publicly, a narrowly tailored FOIA asking for “records of age‑waiver approvals for ICE law‑enforcement hires, by fiscal year, 2015–present” directed to ICE’s FOIA component is the standard route ^{[3] [2]}.

5. Practical FOIA tips and likely limitations

DHS and its components operate a FOIA library of frequently requested records — check it first because many FOIA requests are already posted ^[2]. FOIA requests are processed FIFO with some exceptions and can trigger fees (DHS notes an implicit $25 commitment unless you request a waiver); expedited handling or fee waivers are possible but judged case‑by‑case ^{[12] [13] [7]}. Legal exemptions and consultations with other agencies can delay or redact responses; the eCFR rules for 6 CFR Part 5 further describe processing standards ^[14].

6. What reporters and researchers have already found — and what’s missing

Journalists have relied on DHS news releases and ICE data to show big operational shifts — for example, multiple outlets reported the removal of an age cap in August 2025 ^{[6] [8] [9]}. Investigations tracking detention and deaths in custody have used ICE’s published statistics to reveal trends ^{[4] [15]}. However, available sources do not mention a public, historical dataset listing every age‑waiver approval or the internal waiver criteria and counts — that absence suggests a FOIA is the appropriate next step if you need those precise records ^{[2] [3]}.

7. Next steps — a recommended approach

1) Search the DHS FOIA Library and ICE statistics/newsroom for any posted waiver guidance or datasets ^{[2] [4]}. 2) If not found, draft a narrow FOIA to ICE’s FOIA office requesting age‑waiver approval records (specify date range and document types) and consider asking for expedited processing if you can show urgency ^{[3] [7]}. 3) Track processing timelines via DHS FOIA processing guidance and be prepared for fees or redactions under FOIA exemptions ^{[12] [13] [14]}.

Limitations: available sources do not list a consolidated public file of historical age‑waiver approvals; assertions about internal counts should be treated as unconfirmed until you obtain agency records via FOIA or a direct ICE/DHS release ^{[2] [3]}.