Judge orders release of Liberian man arrested in Minneapolis by agents with a battering ram
A federal judge in Minnesota on Thursday ordered the release of one man. liberian man Four days after heavily armed immigration agents broke into his house He arrested him using a battering ram.
In his decision, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan said the agents violated Garrison Gibson’s Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.
“The defendants broke into Garrison G.’s house without his consent and judicial permission to arrest him,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security is increasing immigration arrests in Minnesota. largest sanctions operation. DHS said its officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29.
Gibson’s attorney, Marc Prokosch, said he was “thrilled” by the judge’s decision. He had made an application habeas corpus The petition, which courts use to determine whether imprisonment is legal, called the arrest a “clear constitutional violation” because the agents did not have a proper warrant.
Gibson’s wife was at their home in Minneapolis with the couple’s 9-year-old child at the time of the raid. Prokosch said that the arrest shook him deeply.
Gibson, 37, was being held at an immigration detention center in Albert Lea after being held at a large camp at the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, according to ICE’s detainee locator.
DHS did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the order, nor did it respond to an earlier email with follow-up questions about Gibson’s case.
Gibson, who fled the Liberian civil war as a child, was apparently ordered removed from the United States because he was convicted of a 2008 drug crime that was later overruled by the courts. He had remained in the country legally under an order known as a control order, provided he met regularly with immigration authorities.
Just days before his arrest, Gibson had met with immigration officials at regional immigration offices, the building where agents have conducted police raids in recent weeks.
In Thursday’s order, Bryan said he agreed with Gibson’s arguments that because he had already been released on a supervision order, authorities “violated applicable regulations” by not giving him adequate notice that it had been revoked and why, and by not granting an interview immediately after being taken into custody.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Gibson has “a lengthy criminal record that includes robbery, drug possession with intent to sell, possession of a deadly weapon, malicious destruction and theft.” He did not specify whether these were arrests, charges or convictions.
Court records show Gibson’s legal history includes a single crime in 2008, as well as several traffic violations, minor drug arrests and an arrest for taking public transportation without paying.
Twin Cities — final destination President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign – rocked by fear and anger following his killing Renee GoodHe was shot during a shootout with agents on January 7. a man on wednesday shot and injured by an immigration officer who was attacked with a shovel and a broom handle.
