A federal judge in Minnesota on Thursday ordered the release of A Liberian man After four days of heavily armed immigration agents He broke into his house Using a battering ram, they arrested him.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan said in his ruling that the agents violated Garrison Gibson’s Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.
“To arrest him, the defendants forcefully entered Garrison Gee’s home without his consent and without a warrant,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security has ramped up immigration arrests in Minnesota in what the department calls “immigrant detention.” The largest enforcement operation. The Department of Homeland Security says its officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since November 29.
Mark Prokosch, Gibson’s attorney, said he was “pleased” with the judge’s order. He had presented A Habeas corpus order The petition, which courts use to determine whether imprisonment is lawful, called the arrest a “blatant constitutional violation” because the agents did not have a proper arrest warrant.
Gibson’s wife was inside their home in Minneapolis with their 9-year-old child during the raid. Prokosch said she was deeply shaken by the arrest.
Gibson, 37, was being held at the Albert Lea Immigration Detention Center after being detained at a large camp at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas, according to ICE’s detainer website.
DHS did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the matter and did not respond to an earlier email containing follow-up questions about Gibson’s case.
Gibson, who fled the Liberian civil war as a child, was ordered removed from the United States, apparently because of his 2008 drug conviction that was later overturned by the courts. He has remained in the country legally under what is known as a supervision order, with the requirement that he meet regularly with immigration authorities.
Just days before his arrest, Gibson had checked in with immigration authorities at regional immigration offices — the same building where agents have conducted enforcement raids in recent weeks.
Bryan said in his order issued Thursday that he agreed with Gibson’s assertions that since he had already been released on a probation order, officials “violated applicable regulations” by not giving him adequate notice that he was being revoked and the reasons why, as well as by not interviewing him immediately after his arrest.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said Gibson has a “long criminal record that includes robbery, drug possession with intent to sell, possession of a deadly weapon, malicious destruction and theft.” She did not clarify whether these were arrests, charges or convictions.
Court records show Gibson’s legal history shows just one felony in 2008, along with a handful of traffic violations, minor drug arrests, and an arrest for riding public transportation without paying a fare.
Twin Cities – Latest target President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign has been wracked by fear and anger in the wake of the killing Rene is goodWho was shot on January 7 during a confrontation with agents. On Wednesday it was a man Shot and wounded By an immigration officer who was attacked with a shovel and broom.