Judge: State's lawsuit over immigration arrests to continue

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge says Washington state's lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration from making civil immigration arrests at courthouses can continue.

Washington sued in December, saying that when Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents patrol courthouse hallways and parking lots it deters crime victims and witnesses from testifying and interferes with criminal prosecutions.

In an order Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly rejected each of the administration's arguments for dismissing the case, including that the arrest practices were not subject to court review.

The state argues that prior to Donald Trump becoming president, immigration arrests were usually made at or near courthouses only in cases where public safety was at risk. Since then, such arrests in Washington have skyrocketed 600 percent, and the targets of the arrests are sometimes people with no criminal history at all.