A civil rights group claims that US immigration authorities made use of deceptive and unconstitutional tactics to detain more than 120 women and children. The group accuses the federal government of trying to hide information about raids that resulted in a large number of deportations.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has sued The Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for violating rights under the Freedom of Information Act. This was by failing to accede to their request for information relating to the two immigration raids, which took place last January. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s lawsuit states that it has now been more than six months since submission of the FOIA request but no records or substantive response to that request has been made by the defendants.
The complaint has also revealed that deceptive tactics were used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain 121 women and children after raids in Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia. The group says that this raises concerns over potential violations of the constitution.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents allegedly entered the homes of families from Central America without their consent or a legal warrant. They are also accused of posing as police officers looking for suspects. It is alleged that the agents told the immigrants they would only be in custody for a short time, for the examination of electronic ankle shackles which track their location.