U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528

Homeland
Security
Privacy Office, Mail Stop 0655

October 20, 2017
SENT VIA EMAIL TO: foia@americanoversight.org
Austin R. Evers
Executive Director
American Oversight
1030 15th Street, NW
Suite B255
Washington, DC 20005
Re: 2017-HQFO-00583
CBP-2017-041457
Dear Mr. Evers:
This is the Privacy Office’s final response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Privacy Office, dated March 21, 2017, and
received in this office on March 21, 2017. You requested documents regarding any contracts,
requests for proposals, or solicitations regarding the construction of a wall, fence, or other
physical barrier on the U.S.–Mexico border, including agreements to undertake preliminary
assessments, analysis, or evaluation regarding the creation of such a barrier, including its
feasibility, cost, or efficacy, or to construct a portion of such a barrier; any email correspondence
concerning the documents responsive to first item sent or received with entities or individuals
outside of the federal government, for example emails sent, received, or copied to addresses not
ending in .gov.
We conducted a comprehensive search of files within the Chief Readiness Support Officer for
records that would be responsive to your request. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate or
identify any responsive records.
While an adequate search was conducted, you have the right to appeal this determination that no
records exist within Chief Readiness Support Officer that would be responsive to your request.
Should you wish to do so, you must send your appeal and a copy of this letter, within 90 days of
the date of this letter, to: Privacy Office, Attn: FOIA Appeals, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, 245 Murray Lane, SW, Mail Stop 0655, Washington, D.C. 20528-0655, following the
procedures outlined in the DHS FOIA regulations at 6 C.F.R. Part 5 § 5.8. Your envelope and
letter should be marked “FOIA Appeal.” Copies of the FOIA and DHS FOIA regulations are
available at www.dhs.gov/foia.

 If you need any further assistance or would like to discuss any aspect of your request, please
contact the analyst below who processed your request and refer to 2017-HQFO-00583.
You may send an e-mail to foia@hq.dhs.gov, call 202-343-1743 or toll free 1-866-431-0486, or
you may contact our FOIA Public Liaison in the same manner. Additionally, you have a right to
right to seek dispute resolution services from the Office of Government Information Services
(OGIS) which mediates disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a nonexclusive alternative to litigation. If you are requesting access to your own records (which is
considered a Privacy Act request), you should know that OGIS does not have the authority to
handle requests made under the Privacy Act of 1974. You may contact OGIS as follows: Office
of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601
Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone
at 202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769.
Provisions of FOIA allow DHS to charge for processing fees, up to $25, unless you seek a
waiver of fees. In this instance, because the cost is below the $25 minimum, there is no charge.
Additionally, after further review of your request, it was determined that the U. S. Customs &
Border Protection (CBP) is the proper office to respond to your request. You may contact the
CBP FOIA Office at 202-325-0150 for the status of your request and refer to case number CBP2017-041457.
Sincerely,
/s/
LaEbony Livingston
FOIA Program Specialist