After the American Civil Liberties Union took the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to federal court in Northern California, the impact of the planned raids was subdued on Sunday, an immigrants’ rights attorney said.
On Saturday, an emergency temporary restraining order was filed by the ACLU on behalf of Pangea Legal Services, a Bay Area nonprofit that provides legal services to immigrants, particularly related to deportation defense. The decision issued by a federal judge stated that “a noncitizen will not be removed unless and until a reasonable opportunity to talk with an attorney has been provided.”
The court also put ICE on notice. “As of 1:30 p.m., no verified ICE activity has been reported through our hotlines, attorney pro-bono list, ICE field offices or anywhere else in the community that we have been monitoring very closely,” wrote Pangea Legal Services in a Twitter announcement on Sunday afternoon. Pangea attorney Edwin Carmona-Cruz said Sunday he believes that the preparedness of the communities, along with the federal court notice, worked to deter ICE from carrying out operations in the Bay Area.
“Anywhere ICE is present, we will be ready to respond,” Carmona-Cruz said.
The nonprofit is prepared to take ICE back to federal court if its agents fail to provide access to counsel during any planned raids, he added. Rapid response networks remain available for detained individuals 24 hours everyday.