Immigrant rights group sues ICE, DHS over alleged warrantless arrests in Maryland

BETHESDA, Md. - Immigrant rights organization CASA filed a lawsuit targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that federal agents are engaging in unconstitutional practices by making warrantless arrests across Maryland.

What we know:

The lawsuit claims that agents are arresting individuals suspected of being in the country illegally without obtaining a warrant first. According to CASA, law enforcement officers cannot execute these arrests without probable cause to believe both that the individual is in the country without legal status and that the person will flee before an arrest warrant can be secured.

CASA representatives expressed that ICE's "arrest-first, ask-questions-later policy" is impacting communities across the entire state.

"From the Eastern Shore to Park Heights to the mountains of Washington County, these agents have stalked primarily Brown and Black neighborhoods, arresting those they perceive to be Brown or Black immigrants without warrants and without probable cause," said Shana Khader, Legal Director for We Are CASA.

The advocacy group previously mounted a similar legal challenge in Washington, D.C., where a judge issued an injunction blocking ICE from carrying out warrantless arrests in that manner. CASA hopes to replicate that outcome with its lawsuit in Maryland.

DHS will have the opportunity to formally respond to the lawsuit in court in the coming weeks. The agency maintains that its enforcement practices are constitutional and fall within the powers of the executive branch, under a presidential administration that has pursued aggressive immigration policies since taking office.