ACLU files class action lawsuit against ICE and Idaho police for ‘unconstitutional’ immigration raid in Wilder

he raid as it unfolded.Jennifer Nwosu, an attorney for the plaintiffs, called the operation “an unconstitutional mass detention that swept up hundreds of people based solely on their perceived immigration status and national origin,” in a statement. “This kind of dragnet enforcement violates the most fundamental principles of the U.S. Constitution and American values.”I am shaken by what I witnessed tonight in my community. All I can think about is how my family ended up in a situation where small children were caught up in zip ties, being separated in terror,” Go share on social,” ACLU Idaho deputy director Leo Morales said in a statement. “It’s our responsibility to hold all of those responsible, all those named in our lawsuit, accountable for the harm that they caused.”The ACLU’s complaint describes families who were held in a single room, standing and sitting for hours, while officers went through the facility checking for identification, warrants, or other information to contact ICE. Most individuals not arrested were ultimately released from the scene after several hours. The lawsuit contends that some were kept for eight hours or more and that children were temporarily separated from parents and other family members during this process.Morales said no one should fear being rounded up and detained in a mass raid when they’re living a normal life, free from criminal activity.”Whether those who experienced this inhumane treatment were citizens or immigrants, they deserve justice to be restored in order to continue to restart their lives after this hideous abuse of authority,” he said.The ACLU asks a federal court to declare the conduct of the raids unconstitutional, to order the destruction of any information on individuals obtained as a result, to require the defendants to issue a public apology, and to award monetary damages to the named plaintiffs in an amount to be determined through a jury trial.Idaho News 6 has reached out to the defendants for commentor, and will update this story with any response received.