A coalition of immigrant advocacy organizations and civil rights groups has filed a major federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that federal immigration agents have conducted widespread, unconstitutional, and warrantless arrests across Maryland under an aggressive street-level enforcement strategy.
The 56-page legal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, accuses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of violating the Fourth Amendment alongside statutory protections against arbitrary detention. The litigation contends that federal authorities have implemented an unlawful "arrest first, ask questions later" doctrine, systematically seizing individuals without warrants or individualized probable cause simply because they are perceived to be immigrants.
According to data presented in the filing, federal immigration agents have carried out more than 7,000 street arrests in Maryland since President Donald Trump took office for his second term on January 20, 2025. The lawsuit emphasizes that roughly 93 percent of those apprehended during this period were citizens of Latin American or Caribbean nations, a statistical disparity that attorneys argue demonstrates systemic racial profiling by federal law enforcement.
The legal action also sharply challenges government assertions regarding the focus of its immigration crackdowns, providing figures on the criminal records of those detained. The complaint notes that 80 percent of the individuals arrested by ICE in Maryland since 2025 had no prior criminal convictions. Furthermore, during "Operation Safe Community"—a recent two-week enforcement surge conducted across Maryland and Virginia—fewer than one-third of the 1,300 people arrested had any criminal convictions on their records.
Among the individuals bringing the suit is Samuel Guzman, a U.S. citizen and Maryland native whose detention illustrates the far-reaching impact of the administration's enforcement practices. Court documents state that Guzman was stopped and detained by ICE agents immediately after leaving a 7-Eleven store. Despite showing his identification and repeatedly informing agents of his American citizenship, he was held by authorities, underscoring the constant fear of unwarranted stops and wrongful targeting experienced by local community members.
The legal challenge is brought by four Maryland residents, including Guzman and three other individuals identified in the complaint by their initials. The lawsuit names several senior federal officials and agencies as defendants, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Acting ICE Director David Venturella, and Attorney General Todd Blanche, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.
The lawsuit was jointly organized by several prominent legal and community organizations: We Are CASA, the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, the ACLU of Maryland, and the National Immigration Project. Leaders and attorneys from these organizations gathered to formally announce the federal filing during a press conference held at We Are CASA’s multicultural center in Langley Park.
Speaking at the briefing, Shana Kader, legal director for We Are CASA, offered a detailed denunciation of federal enforcement tactics over the preceding 21 months. Kader described a climate of fear created by federal agents operating without clear identification, proper oversight, or constitutional restraint throughout residential communities across the state.
Kader stated that plainclothes, masked, armed, unidentified, and untrained federal operatives have stalked predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods. She noted that these operations have spanned diverse regions across the state, from the Eastern Shore to the mountains of Washington County and the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore, arresting individuals based entirely on perceived race and immigrant status. Her remarks were met with chants of "Shame!" from attendees at the event.
Legal representatives from the partnering advocacy groups, including ACLU of Maryland senior staff attorney Sonia Kumar and Amica Center managing attorney Austin Rose, emphasized the critical legal issues at stake. They reiterated that constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures extend to all people, arguing that the administration's unchecked enforcement patterns threaten fundamental civil liberties.
The filing of the federal lawsuit coincides with other high-profile confrontations between federal immigration officers and Maryland communities. On the day the complaint was submitted, We Are CASA announced that Tiago Alexandre Sousa Martin had been released from ICE custody and returned home to his family, months after he was shot by ICE agents in an Anne Arundel County neighborhood on Christmas Eve.
The legal action also follows a recent, highly publicized confrontation in Frederick, Maryland, where video footage provided by the group Hagerstown Rapid Response captured ICE personnel engaging with local demonstrators outside a home. The video recorded agents grabbing and shoving protesters, with at least one federal agent seen striking an individual on the ground with a baton.
Amica Center managing attorney Austin Rose stated that while the federal lawsuit is not directly linked to the specific physical clash in Frederick, the litigation addresses the overarching operational policies that lead to such aggressive street encounters throughout the region.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded to requests for comment regarding the federal complaint. The lawsuit now proceeds in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore, where judges will evaluate the legality of the administration's regional enforcement tactics.
(0)