NEW YORK, CMC – Several immigrant advocacy groups have filed a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Homeland Security, alleging unlawful stops, warrantless immigration arrests, and racial profiling in New York.
The group Make the Road New York says it is collaborating with the Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and Covington & Burling LLP in the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
The claim challenges what it describes as a policy of stopping individuals based solely on perceived race or ethnicity, and carrying out arrests without probable cause.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eight Latino New Yorkers and the Workers’ Center of Central New York. It alleges the individuals were unlawfully stopped and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents while going about their daily routines.
According to the complaint, federal agents routinely violate legal requirements for reasonable suspicion and probable cause, and disproportionately target Black and Latino communities.
It further claims that nearly 2,900 non-citizens were arrested in the New York City area during the first six months of the current administration—more than triple the number recorded in the previous period.
Advocacy groups argue that the increased enforcement has created widespread fear, with many residents, including US citizens and lawful immigrants, limiting their daily activities out of concern that they may be deported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has condemned the alleged practices as illegal and says residents should not have to fear being targeted because of their race.
Attorneys involved in the case say the lawsuit aims to hold federal authorities accountable and reaffirm constitutional protections against unlawful detention and discrimination.
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