Honduran Man Turned in to ICE by Police after Reporting a Crime

Wilson Macareno, an undocumented Honduran man and father of three, called the police to report someone trespassing on his property and breaking into his car. But instead of helping Mr. Macareno, the police detained and handcuffed him, then turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while letting the trespasser go free. When undocumented immigrants cannot call police to report a crime or cooperate with authorities without fear of arrest or reprisal, everyone's safety is compromised. DWT's Ken Payson and Jennifer K. Chung filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU-WA), supporting the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project's (NWIRP) lawsuit claiming that officers violated Mr. Macareno's civil rights. Federal judge Richard Jones agreed, ruling that Mr. Macareno's rights had been violated. He cited the ACLU-WA brief in his decision, noting that it "demonstrates that the issues [in this case] have potential ramifications beyond the parties involved, most notably in the policing of civil immigration violations by local law enforcement."