A judge ruled Friday that a challenge of the Metropolitan Police Department’s agreement with ICE lacked standing.
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District Judge Monica Trujillo’s decision denied a petition filed by the ACLU of Nevada and Sergio Morais-Hechavarria in October.
The judge found that the ACLU did not have standing to pursue a claim that Metro lacked authority to enter into 287(g) agreements with the federal government.
Under the 287(g) program, Metro, which operates the Clark County Detention Center, notifies Immigration and Customs Enforcement about foreign-born inmates and holds them for no more than 48 hours after their scheduled release to allow immigration agents to pick them up.
Trujillo ruled that while the ACLU had standing to pursue other, related claims, the issues in the petition were moot.
Morais-Hechavarria, who pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a stolen vehicle, was deported while his case was pending, according to court records.
Athar Haseebullah, director of the ACLU of Nevada, said he was not surprised by the ruling, but viewed it as a punt on the issues in the case.
“The reality is that whether it’s in this matter or another matter, a court is going to ultimately make a decision on the merits of this agreement, because we will not stop filing challenges on this,” he said.
Metro did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday afternoon.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
