ACLU Statement on DHS Retaliatory Arrest of ICE Raids Plaintiff 

LOS ANGELES— Today, in response to last week’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest of Isaac Villegas, a plaintiff in Vasquez Perdomo v. Mullin, ACLU SoCal executive director Chandra Bhatnagar issued the following statement:

“Last week, ICE arrested Isaac Villegas despite an immigration judge’s order granting his release on bond, in what appears to be retaliation for speaking out against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Last summer, when the federal government unleashed an illegal deportation campaign on Southern California communities using blatant racial profiling tactics, brave individuals like Isaac Villegas stood up to the Department of Homeland Security to protect the dignity of all people.

After his unlawful arrest and incarceration last June, Isaac and many other heroic workers came together to file Vasquez Perdomo v. Mullin, our lawsuit challenging the L.A. raids. Last week, ICE arrested Isaac as he was attending a scheduled immigration check-in and jailed him again despite an immigration judge’s order granting his release, and in violation of Isaac’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.

To our knowledge, this is the first retaliatory arrest of a plaintiff challenging ICE raids in the country. Retaliation is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, and we will not stand for it. The Law Offices of Stacy Tolchin—our cocounsel in the Vasquez Perdomo litigation and Isaac’s immigration attorney— filed a habeas petition seeking his freedom. We are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of every courageous person who stands up to the government. We demand DHS release Isaac immediately.”