Portland (Oregon, USA), 5 February (LaPresse/AP) – US immigration agents, known by the acronym ICE, will no longer be able to arrest people in Oregon without a warrant, unless there is a risk of escape. This was ruled by US District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, who issued a preliminary injunction in a proposed class action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security's practice of arresting immigrants they encounter during control operations. The day-long hearing included testimony from one of the plaintiffs, Victor Cruz Gamez, a 56-year-old grandfather who has lived in the United States since 1999. He told the court that he was arrested and detained in an immigration detention centre for three weeks, despite having a valid work permit and a pending visa application. Kasubhai said the actions of agents in Oregon, including pointing guns at people while arresting them for civil immigration violations, were ‘violent and brutal’ and expressed concern that the administration was denying due process to those involved in immigration raids. ‘Due process requires those with great power to exercise great restraint,’ he said, ‘that is the foundation of a democratic republic founded on this great constitution. I think we are losing that.’
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