ICE Sued Over Postville Raid

A lawsuit has already been filed against ICE for its raid in Postville, Iowa earlier this week. Amy Lorentzen reports for the Associated Press

Attorneys have filed a federal lawsuit requesting class-action status on behalf of an unspecified number of immigrant workers arrested this week during a raid at a meatpacking plant in Postville.

The lawsuit names the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and several government officials including Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. It was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of an estimated 147 detained immigrant workers and names three of the petitioners: Antonin Trinidad Candido, Roman Trinidad Candido and Maria del Refugio Masias.

The U.S. attorney’s office said Monday’s raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. meatpacking plant was the largest single Immigration raid in U.S. history, resulting in nearly 400 arrests. A spokesman for the office said he couldn’t comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit alleges that government agencies and officials violated the immigrant workers’ constitutional rights. Those rights include the right to due process, which includes protections from arbitrary prolonged and indefinite detention. The suit also states that their rights to consult with counsel have been violated, among other claims. Click here for the rest of the story.

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