PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A federal class action lawsuit has been filed against the ICE Philadelphia field office and the Department of Homeland Security accusing agents of re-arresting people at their immigration check-ins.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Kennedy Human Rights Center jointly filed the suit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of three immigrant community members who, individually and as part of a class and subclass of people in similar circumstances, face the threat of re-detention without legal basis.
One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, identified only by the initials M.P.B., said he lives in fear daily about possibly being re-detained at ICE check-ins and immigration hearings.
He came to America about three years ago seeking safety and opportunity, and said he has a job and volunteers. In a statement, M.P.B. said he wonders what his community will think of him if he is re-detained, and fears that everything he worked for will be lost — his scholarship, his degree, and the community.
Attorneys for the ACLU of Pennsylvania said more than 200 people have been re-arrested by agents from the Philadelphia ICE office, despite them posing no danger to the community or being a flight risk. They added that the federal government cannot arbitrarily re-detain people without explanation.
An ICE spokesperson told KYW Newsradio the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
