Immigrant rights attorneys in Doe v. ICE argued in front of Hon. Alison J. Nathan in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to oppose Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss in order to continue the litigation, as reported by AM New York. The lawsuit seeks to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from making civil immigration arrests without a judicial warrant or court order in and around New York State courthouses.

In December, another judge in the Southern District of New York denied ICE’s Motion to Dismiss in a similar lawsuit, New York v. ICE, issuing a 36-page opinion stating the plaintiffs had valid claims that ICE courthouse arrests were unlawful and could have deleterious effects on the criminal justice system.

“We feel that the arguments went very well — the judge understood the arguments and so there was no basis for this to be dismissed and we did establish we had standing with great merit, said Jill Waldman, a Staff Attorney with The Legal Aid Society. “We hope to get a ruling that will keep ICE from terrifying people and allow court access for all people.”