Public records, found, and explained. Three releases from the past four weeks, from Ottawa and Washington.
What the record shows. In 1986 the historian Alti Rodal wrote a 618-page background report for the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals, known as the Deschênes Commission, the federal inquiry into Nazi war criminals in Canada. One section, titled "Irregularities in resettlement of defectors and former agents by American intelligence agencies," had never been fully disclosed. On September 1, 2026, the Federal Court ordered nearly all of the remaining redactions removed (B'nai Brith Canada v. Minister of Canadian Heritage, 2026 FC 1119). The court found the government had not shown that releasing the text would harm Canada's international relations. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) gave an advance copy of the declassified report to B'nai Brith Canada on October 1. According to B'nai Brith Canada and The Canadian Press, the newly released passages say the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had identified 35 to 40 people suspected of entering Canada with falsified security clearances obtained with United States help, and that the RCMP rejected 52 immigration applications submitted through the US resettlement program in the early 1950s.
Still withheld. One redaction remains, which the court allowed under the Access to Information Act exemption for information received in confidence from a foreign government. Part II of the Deschênes Commission's final report, reported to list names of suspects, has never been released.
Why it matters. The court's reasons set a clear test for the international-relations exemption: the government must show likely harm, not assume it. That test applies to every federal request.
Requester: B'nai Brith Canada. Reported by The Canadian Press and The Globe and Mail (Marie Woolf).
Sources: Federal Court decision, 2026 FC 1119 (PDF) · B'nai Brith Canada release · Library and Archives Canada catalogue entry · The Canadian Press report
What the record shows. Records released under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to American Oversight, a government-records watchdog group, include a 38-page "Limited User Assessment Final Report" on the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE), a wearable device that delivers an electric shock. The report is dated December 12, 2024. A Naval Surface Warfare Center team ran the assessment on October 21 to 23, 2024, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, under the sponsorship of the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command, with staff from the manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, taking part. Soldiers role-played guards and inmates in a mock cell. According to American Oversight and The Associated Press (AP), the report describes the gloves producing pain and quick compliance, and it does not assess health or safety effects on children, pregnant women, older adults or people with disabilities. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) produced the report in response to a request for its use-of-force policies and training materials. American Oversight reports that ICE has awarded the manufacturer a contract of nearly $17 million for 6,000 pairs.
The other side. Compliant Technologies says on its website that there have been no documented injuries from direct use of its technology since it was introduced in December 2018.
Why it matters. Before any police agency issues a new force tool widely, the public should be able to see how it was tested for safety, including on the people it may be used on. This assessment answers part of that question and leaves the rest open.
Requester: American Oversight. Reported by The Associated Press.
Sources: The released records (DocumentCloud) · American Oversight release, October 6, 2026 · The Associated Press report · Compliant Technologies FAQ
What the record shows. A 166-page production released under FOIA to Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy group, contains weekly reports from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of ICE, on voter-fraud investigations. The reports say HSI "ingested" about 50.6 million voter-roll records from the US Department of Justice and obtained another 48.4 million records from other sources. A summary of the May 25, 2026 weekly report says HSI was coordinating with its Innovation Lab (iLab) "on ingesting processed voter roll data into the ELITE enforcement system." ELITE (Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement) is an ICE tool built with Palantir. A later page says voter data for Missouri, Michigan, New Mexico, Connecticut, Georgia and Kentucky had been "enriched by the iLab" and was "pending Palantir entry into ELITE," with Michigan and New Mexico pending legal review under a court order.
The other side. Palantir told WIRED that "voter roll data has never been integrated into ELITE." The records show plans and pending work, not a completed transfer. ICE declined to describe its methods.
Still withheld. Staff names are redacted. The records do not say what "enriched" means.
Why it matters. Confirming that only citizens vote is a legitimate federal task. Moving voter rolls into an immigration-enforcement system is a significant policy step, and the rules for it should be public rather than learned from a FOIA release.
Requester: Democracy Forward. Reported by WIRED (David Gilbert) and CNN.
Sources: The released records (PDF, 169 pages) · Democracy Forward release, October 7, 2026 · WIRED report
Still outstanding
Every requester is credited and every source is linked. Have a release we should read? Tell us.
Corrections: If we got something wrong, tell us and we will fix it here, with a note. No corrections to date.