US judge blocks warrantless immigration arrests in Oregon

ANKARA

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered US immigration agents in Oregon to stop making arrests without warrants unless there is a clear likelihood that a person would flee, citing what he described as a pattern of unlawful enforcement practices.

US District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai issued a preliminary injunction in a proposed class-action lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s use of warrantless arrests during intensified immigration operations, CBS News reported, adding that the case was brought by the nonprofit Innovation Law Lab.

With the ruling, Oregon becomes the third jurisdiction — after Colorado and Washington, DC — where the Trump administration is barred from carrying out warrantless immigration arrests without first determining that an individual poses a flight risk.

According to CBS News, a similar lawsuit is pending in Minnesota and the federal government is appealing the decisions in Colorado and Washington.

During hearings, the judge heard testimony that immigration agents in Oregon arrested individuals without warrants and without assessing the likelihood of flight, despite internal guidance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requiring such evaluations.

One plaintiff, Victor Cruz Gamez, told the court he was detained for three weeks despite holding a valid work permit and having a pending visa application, CBC News reported. Another witness described armed agents entering a bedroom during a raid in search of someone who did not live there.

Kasubhai said there was “ample evidence” of a pattern of warrantless arrests and criticized what he called “violent and brutal” conduct, warning that such actions undermine constitutional due process protections.