DC Immigration Arrests Blocked: Judge Halts Warrantless Arrests in Nation's Capital
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A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration's policy of making widespread immigration arrests in Washington, D.C. without warrants or probable cause. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell granted the request from civil liberties and immigrants' rights groups, who argued that federal officers were conducting indiscriminate arrests in neighborhoods with large numbers of Latino immigrants. According to court documents, immigration officers generally require an administrative warrant to make arrests. However, under specific circumstances, they may make arrests without a warrant if they have probable cause to believe the person is in the U.S. illegally and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other plaintiffs' attorneys claimed that federal officers were frequently patrolling and setting up checkpoints in neighborhoods, stopping and arresting people without proper justification. They provided sworn declarations from individuals who claimed to have been arrested without warrants or a required assessment of flight risk. Judge Howell, a Barack Obama nominee, ruled that the plaintiffs had established a substantial likelihood of an unlawful policy and practice by the defendants. She ordered any agent who conducts a warrantless civil immigration arrest in Washington to document the specific facts that supported their pre-arrest probable cause. The government must also submit this documentation to the plaintiffs' attorneys. This ruling is similar to two others in federal lawsuits involving the ACLU in Colorado and California. The decision aims to prevent indiscriminate immigration arrests and ensure that federal officers follow established procedures and laws.
