“This policy of racial profiling is illegal and unconscionable,” James said in a statement. “New Yorkers should be able to go about their daily lives without fear of being targeted by masked federal agents because of the color of their skin.”
A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses ICE agents in New York City and Long Island of conducting unconstitutional and racially-motivated stops, allegedly targeting Latinos due to the color of their skin and other ethnic indicators.
According to The New York Daily News, the lawsuit was filed with support from the Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road NY, and other organizations. The lead plaintiffs include eight New York residents who all claim they were stopped and interrogated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement will doing everyday activities like taking their children to school, pumping gas, and walking across a parking lot.
Attorneys for the class say their clients were taken into custody, sometimes held for days or weeks at a time. They were released only after their immigration statuses had been confirmed.
“ICE is profiling and arresting Black and Brown New Yorkers based solely on their appearance. This is an egregious violation of their civil rights, that has caused fear and panic to ripple throughout New York’s immigrant communities,” said Meghna Philip of the Legal Aid Society. “This lawlessness must come to an end, and the federal government must be held accountable for its abuse of authority.”
The New York Daily News reports that one of the plaintiffs, identified in court documents by the initials A.M.C., said they were stopped by ICE agents on February 24. At the time of the incident, A.M.C. was returning home from work. He was arrested outside of his Bushwick apartment and held for a week before being released.
Since his release, A.M.C. continues to commute to work six days a week but, “due to his Latino ethnicity, A.M.C. fears being stopped, arrested, and detained again while going about his daily life.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is litigating multiple claims against the Trump administration, said that the tactics detailed in the lawsuit are patently illegal.
“This policy of racial profiling is illegal and unconscionable,” James said in a statement. “New Yorkers should be able to go about their daily lives without fear of being targeted by masked federal agents because of the color of their skin.”
AMNY notes that attorneys for the class believe that the Trump administration, rather than individual immigration officers, bears accountability for allegedly unlawful stops.
“For over a year, immigration agents have treated our state like a constitution-free zone, unlawfully profiling and detaining Black and Brown New Yorkers in service of Trump’s deportation agenda,” said Amy Belsher, director of immigrants’ rights litigation at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “New Yorkers going about their lives—heading to work, taking their kids to school, or grocery shopping—must now fear being suddenly snatched by masked agents and arrested without probable cause. These practices are discriminatory, unconstitutional, and an affront to the rights of all New Yorkers.”
Sources
Class action lawsuit accuses ICE of unlawful stops, warrantless arrests in NY
Legal Aid Society sues DHS, ICE for racial profiling and unlawful arrests
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