While the wide-scale operations conducted by ICE and Border Patrol have largely wound down due to the nationwide backlash over the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, that is not the case in Memphis. ICE continues to have a pronounced presence in the city as part of a task force with local law enforcement. Sadly, it comes as no surprise that a group of Memphis residents has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over how federal agents have conducted themselves in the city.
You’d think the widespread negativity against ICE would make the task force act on its best behavior, but when have weak men ever acted responsibly when given a modicum of power?
The New York Times reports that the lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of the Memphis residents focus on how federal agents have treated citizens while they’re acting as lawful observers. In a series of sworn declarations in court, the citizens provided photos and videos showing what they alleged to be violations of their First Amendment rights by federal agents.
From The New York Times:
In their declarations on Thursday, the residents accused agents of trailing them home in unmarked cars, taunting them by name and threatening them with arrest while they record traffic stops or other law enforcement activity. Their work, they said, is not just about documenting how federal agents are conducting themselves in Memphis neighborhoods, but also about helping inform the relatives of those who are detained.
The interactions have been complicated by a Tennessee law that passed last year, which requires people to move at least 25 feet away from police officers if they are told to back up. (News outlets have separately sued over the law, arguing that it is vague and could interfere with reporting.)
Hunter Demster, a longtime Memphis activist who filed a declaration on Thursday, estimated that the law had been invoked at least 40 times against him, and said that he was often given conflicting instructions on how far back to move. It has made it difficult to record, he said, infringing on his constitutional rights.
Source: Memphis Residents File Lawsuit Alleging ICE Is Violating Constitutional Rights
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