The American Civil Liberties Union and its state affiliates said Wednesday they have filed 54 legal claims in 17 states and the District of Columbia accusing the federal government of violence, abuse and other misconduct by federal immigration agents, launching what the organization called one of its largest coordinated efforts to seek compensation for people it says were harmed during immigration enforcement operations.
“As more than 50 of these cases show, federal agents’ violence, misconduct and utter disregard for the law is rampant,” Yasmin Cader, the ACLU’s deputy executive director, said in a statement. “President Trump and his law enforcement officers rely on a perceived sense of impunity, but no one is above the law. This administration is making everyone in America less safe and less free. That’s why the ACLU and its affiliates are fighting back at every turn.”
The claims were filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, a law that allows individuals to seek damages from the federal government for certain actions by federal employees. According to the ACLU, the cases include claims filed in Washington as well as across the country on behalf of U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and noncitizens who allege they experienced excessive force, unlawful detention, racial profiling, denial of medical care and other violations during encounters with immigration authorities.
The organization said the filings represent individual claims rather than a single lawsuit. Each claimant must first exhaust the administrative process before pursuing litigation in federal court if the government denies the claim or does not respond within the required period.
The announcement follows the release of a companion ACLU report examining more than 1,200 immigration enforcement incidents in eight states. According to the organization, more than 400 of those incidents involved allegations of misconduct, including excessive force, racial profiling, intimidation and abuse by immigration agents.
Among the people represented is Dr. Norma Bowe, a registered nurse and professor of public health at Kean University, who alleges ICE agents assaulted her while she operated a mobile health clinic outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey.
“I was violently attacked by ICE agents while I was trying to provide medical care for people visiting their loved ones in Delaney Hall,” Bowe said. “ICE agents are acting like they have impunity and are inflicting harm however and whenever they want; without accountability, more people will get hurt and die. ICE must be held responsible.”
The ACLU also pointed to the case of Willy Wender Aceituno, a U.S. citizen from North Carolina, who alleges immigration agents stopped him, shattered his truck window, placed him in a headlock and detained him before confirming his citizenship and releasing him miles from his vehicle.
According to the organization, 29 of the people represented in the claims are U.S. citizens, including 12 who allege they were racially profiled or unlawfully detained by federal agents. The ACLU also said 14 clients described abuse while in immigration detention, while another 13 alleged retaliation for exercising First Amendment rights.
The organization contends that immigration enforcement activity has accelerated during President Donald Trump’s second term. It cited deaths in ICE custody and recent fatal encounters involving federal agents, while arguing that the claims reveal a nationwide pattern rather than isolated incidents.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment before publication.
The ACLU has created an online database identifying where claims have been filed, including the District of Columbia, and says additional filings could follow.
“All of us deserve a country, where government officials follow the law, where everyone’s freedom and dignity are protected, and where those who abuse their authority are held accountable,” Cader said in a video announcing the lawsuit.
