Federal Judge Denies ACLU of Ohio Motion for Preliminary Injunction in Case Against ICE Officers for Retaliating Against Peaceful Observer in Springfield

A statement from the ACLU of Ohio Managing Legal Director David Carey is as follows:

"The court held that peaceful observers have a First Amendment right to document, photograph, and record federal officers, and that the 7 ICE officers in question likely violated that right. For this reason, the judge granted, and then extended, a TRO. But ultimately, when confronted by the ACLU, the government chose to conceal and protect the wrongdoers rather than face accountability in court. It withheld their identities and then moved them around in a shell game, redeploying 6 of them away from Springfield after the lawsuit was filed. We will continue our work to ensure that government actors do not intimidate, harass, or retaliate against peaceful observers, in Springfield and all across the state."