News & Commentary

A new ACLU report on the 287(g) program’s harmful partnerships with local sheriffs reveals racist abuses and no accountability.

Ana Suda and Martha “Mimi” Hernandez, two American citizens detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for speaking Spanish while shopping at a local convenience store in Havre, Montana, have reached a settlement in their lawsuit against the Trump administration. Their lawsuit brought to light systemic racism on the northern border.

Today, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in favor of Agustin Ramon, who was held by the Lincoln County Detention Center pursuant to a federal immigration detainer.  The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Montana, ACLU, and Border Crossing Law Firm, effectively ends the ability of state and local police and sheriffs in Montana to hold people based on federal immigration detainers. 

The ACLU of Montana and the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project filed a class-action lawsuit this week on behalf of people unlawfully jailed at the Gallatin County Detention Center at the request of U.S. Immigration officials. According to the complaint, Gallatin County officials are exceeding their authority under Montana law by imprisoning people on the grounds that they may have committed a civil violation under federal immigration law. 

We’re suing CBP for violating our rights as U.S. citizens.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Montana, and law firm Crowley Fleck PLLP filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of two American citizens detained by United States Customs and Border Protection for speaking Spanish while shopping at a local convenience store in Havre, Montana.

Illegal arrests and seizures reflect an out-of-control agency emboldened by Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda.

"The proposals to prohibit localities from establishing laws creating sanctuary cities are an answer in search of a nonexistent problem.  They are a scare tactic implying that there will be no immigration enforcement in jurisdictions that divert scarce local resources into federal immigration enforcement.  They are an extension of President Trump’s push for draconian anti-immigrant policies and practices. Here’s the truth: When local law enforcement are forced to act as federal immigration agents, their entire communities become less safe. In fact, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and law enforcement leaders from across the country have all adopted positions opposing local entanglement with immigration enforcement on the ground that it harms public safety. The ACLU of Montana is opposed to HB 146 and HB 147."SK Rossi, Advocacy and Policy Director for the ACLU of Montana

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