New York officials are suing the Trump administration for making immigration arrests in and around the state’s courthouses, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, the lawsuit calls Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s arrest policy “unlawful and unconstitutional” and says it “disrupts the effective functioning of our courts, deters victims and witnesses from assisting law enforcement and vindicating their rights, hinders criminal prosecution, and undermines public safety.”
At a Wednesday news conference about the lawsuit, James said, “ICE’s enforcement actions undermine the effectiveness of the court system.” James’ office also said that New York state has seen a 1,700 percent increase in immigration arrests in and around New York courthouses under President Donald Trump, according to Politico.
The complaint cites a January 2018 ICE decision to reverse its previous policy on conducting immigration arrests at courthouses and adds that “the common law has for centuries recognized a privilege against civil arrests in or around courthouses and court-related proceedings.” James and Gonzalez have asked the federal courts for an injunction against the 2018 policy change.
