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DC residents, immigration advocates sue Trump administration over ICE arrests
Several D.C. residents have sued the Trump administration; they claim that the federal government has "engaged in a pattern of illegal immigration arrests since August."
WASHINGTON - On Thursday, four Washington D.C. community members sued the Trump administration on their own behalf, as well as several other individuals who claim that the federal government has "engaged in a pattern of illegal immigration arrests since August," according to a press release.
The lawsuit comes amid a sharp increase in immigration arrests in the District following President Donald Trump's federal law enforcement surge. According to the Associated Press, more than 40% of the arrests made during the first month of the operation were related to immigration.
These individuals filed their lawsuit in conjunction with the national immigration organization CASA. The plaintiffs are represented by the likes of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigration Project.
Dig deeper:
The filing alleges that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been "systematically" arresting people without warrants and without probable cause.
"They’re not even doing the bare minimum as far as asking individual questions about a person’s immigration status," Ama Frimpong, legal director at CASA, told The Washington Post.
The lawsuit claims that each of the four plaintiffs were "indiscriminately arrested without a warrant" before being detained and then ultimately released.
"On my way to a life-saving dialysis appointment, I was detained by ICE one mile from the hospital. They ignored my U.S. driver’s license and left me without critical treatment that day, putting my health in immediate danger," Elias, a CASA member, stated in a press release. "I was detained for over eight hours without food or access to my necessary medicine."
'Living in a state of terror'
What they're saying:
Advocates say that the increase in law enforcement in the District has led to a sense of fear within immigrant communities.
"For weeks, immigrant communities in D.C. have been living in a state of terror and disruption caused by a policy of indiscriminate targeting being carried out by immigration officials," Yulie Landan, staff attorney with the National Immigration Project, said in a statement. "D.C. residents deserve better."
"Through this lawsuit, our plaintiffs seek the court’s intervention to put an end to this dragnet enforcement, which is not only unlawful but also cruel and inhumane," she added.
The White House responded to the lawsuit on Thursday in a statement.
"Not only are these allegations false, but they’re dangerous smears against ICE officers that are directly contributing to the dramatic increase in left-wing violence," Spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated. "Enforcement operations require careful planning and execution; skills far beyond the purview of a casual observer."
She added that the Trump Administration "will continue fulfilling" its promise of deporting as many undocumented immigrants as possible.
The Source: Information above was sourced from a press release, several official statements, the lawsuit, The Associated Press and The Washington Post.