Judge halts immigration arrests at Massachusetts courts
Source: Associated Press
Judge halts immigration arrests at Massachusetts courts
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
June 20, 2019
BOSTON (AP) A judge on Thursday blocked federal immigration authorities from arresting certain people suspected of living in the country illegally at Massachusetts courthouses while a lawsuit challenging the practice plays out.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwanis decision bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting people for civil immigration violations as they are arriving at, leaving or inside a courthouse.
The ruling came in a case brought by prosecutors in two of Massachusetts largest counties and public defenders, who say such arrests are disrupting the criminal justice system because defendants, witnesses and others are too afraid to come to court.
This is a really significant victory, said Oren Nimni of Lawyers for Civil Rights, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit. Its good protection for immigrant communities in Massachusetts, but also a good message to immigration authorities who have been running rampant over peoples civil rights over the last two years, he said.
John Mohan, an ICE spokesman, said in an email that the agency is reviewing the courts decision and has no further comment.
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