Judge tosses charges from immigration raid

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A U.S. federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that agents violated the rights of an illegal immigrant who was detained in a work-site raid last year.

The Feb. 10 ruling released Friday came in one of dozens of cases stemming from the raid on Micro Solutions Enterprises in Van Nuys, Calif., where 130 employees were arrested on immigration charges.

U.S. Immigration Judge A. Ashley Tabaddor said in a written ruling that immigration agents detained Gregorio Perez Cruz, 23, without reasonable suspicion that he was undocumented and subjected him to an "intimidating and coercive environment" during his 18-hour detention.

Perez's lawyers told the Los Angeles Times the ruling could have an effect on dozens of deportation cases stemming from the raid because it highlighted the requirement that agents have a reasonable degree of certainty that the person they are arresting is indeed in the United States illegally.

The ruling also said agents failed to read Perez his rights. Perez told the Times that as a result he made incriminating statements he wouldn't have made had he known they would be used against him.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a written statement that it planned an appeal.