Immigration Lawsuit Brings Deported Immigrants Back To U.S.

An immigration lawsuit ruling has allowed six Mexican nationals who had been deported to return to the U.S. The six people were among the first plaintiffs in a class-action immigration lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU filed the suit against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the U.S. Border Patrol. The suit alleges that the immigration agencies coerced the immigrants into signing statements that led to their illegal deportation.

Details of the Immigration Lawsuit

The ACLU filed the immigration lawsuit in 2013 alleging that ICE and Border Patrol agents used coercive methods to exert pressure on illegal immigrants. These tactics, according to the immigration lawsuit, compelled at least nine immigrants to sign statements that showed that they would “voluntarily” leave the U.S. The suit also accused the agencies of denying the immigrants their rights to due process under the law. The ACLU also alleges that the agencies did not allow the immigrants to have their case heard by an immigration judge.

Immigration Lawsuit Stresses Strong U.S. Ties

The immigration lawsuit claims that the deported immigrants had strong ties in the U.S. None of the immigrants named as members of the class-action immigration lawsuit had criminal records. Nearly all of them had family ties to U.S. citizens, either through birth or marriage. Some of them would qualify for deferred action under executive orders issued by President Obama. These executive orders allow for deferred deportation processing for immigrants with children who are U.S. citizens, as well as for those who arrived in the U.S. as children themselves.

Immigration Lawsuit Could Bring Opportunities to Immigrants

The ruling on the class-action immigration lawsuit could open the doors for thousands of other illegal immigrants who were deported under the same circumstances. An ACLU spokesperson outlined the qualifications to become a plaintiff in the immigration lawsuit. The lawsuit covers Mexican immigrants who signed voluntary return agreements from July 1, 2009, to August 18, 2014, in Southern California. The immigrants must show that they would have been eligible to have their case heard by an immigration judge and would have qualified for deferred action on their deportation processes.

ICE Denies Immigration Lawsuit Coercion Allegations

While Border Patrol officials did not comment specifically on the ACLU immigration lawsuit, they did deny that any of their agents use coercive tactics. Terrence Shigg, a union leader for about 2,000 Border Patrol agents and staffers, told local reporters that his members treat immigrants with respect and professionalism. He denied the allegations in the immigration lawsuit, saying, “I don’t think we tricked anybody or forced anybody to sign those documents.”

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

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