SEATTLE — A federal judge in Seattle says a lawsuit by a Mexican man who was arrested in February, despite his participation in a program to protect those brought to the U.S. illegally as children, can go forward.
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Daniel Ramirez Medina was held in custody for six weeks, even though he had no criminal record and was participating in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The arrest was seen as a signal that the program might be eroded under the new administration of President Donald Trump.
Ramirez challenged the government's decision to strip him of the program's protections. The Justice Department sought to have the case dismissed, saying whether to grant someone protection under DACA is up to the government.
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But in a decision Wednesday, Judge Ricardo Martinez said Ramirez Medina had made enough of a showing that the immigration agents didn't follow their own protocols for stripping DACA protections to let the case proceed.
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