8 MONTHS IN CUSTODY: LAW FIRM STEPS IN AFTER WOMAN’S LIFE UNRAVELS
A law firm, Morrison Foerster, and immigrant rights organization RAICES joined forces to sue the U.S. government in Texas for the unlawful detention of a legal resident—a case that highlights abuses in the current immigration enforcement system.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit opted on Tuesday to deny the state of Texas request to allow a new state law giving state law enforcement power to arrest and state courts power to deport people to go into effect while the court considers its legality.
The ruling came days after the U.S. Supreme Court let the law go into effect for a few hours, but the Fifth Circuit temporarily blocked it, then held oral arguments on the stay issue on March 20.
Opponents led by the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants’ Rights Project, American Gateways and Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center argue there is a credible fear that enforcement of the law will lead to racial profiling and unlawful detentions of legal residents, in addition to the stated conflict with the federal government’s authority over immigration matters.
