US judge adds restriction on ICE agents over warrantless arrests

US immigration agents in Oregon are now prohibited from making warrantless arrests, except in cases where an individual is likely to flee, following a federal judge's ruling.

U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai issued a preliminary injunction in a proposed class-action lawsuit. This legal challenge targets the Department of Homeland Security's controversial practice of apprehending immigrants encountered during intensified enforcement operations, a method critics have labelled "arrest first, justify later."

This ruling comes amidst widespread concern from civil rights organisations across the United States regarding similar tactics, such as agents entering private property without a court-issued warrant. These actions have been a hallmark of President Donald Trump's extensive deportation initiatives.

In a memo last week, Todd Lyons, the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, emphasized that agents should not make an arrest without an administrative arrest warrant issued by a supervisor unless they develop probable cause to believe the person is likely to escape from the scene.

But the judge heard evidence that agents in Oregon have arrested people in immigration sweeps without such warrants or determining escape was likely.

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That included testimony from one plaintiff, Victor Cruz Gamez, a 56-year-old grandfather who has been in the U.S. since 1999. He told the court he was arrested and held in an immigration detention facility for three weeks despite having a valid work permit and a pending visa application.

Kasubhai said the actions of agents in Oregon — including drawing guns on people while detaining them for civil immigration violations — have been “violent and brutal,” and he was concerned about the administration denying due process to those swept up in immigration raids.

“Due process calls for those who have great power to exercise great restraint,” he said. “That is the bedrock of a democratic republic founded on this great constitution. I think we’re losing that.”

The nonprofit law firm Innovation Law Lab brought the lawsuit.