Filed Date: April 26, 2012
Closed Date: Sept. 27, 2013
Clearinghouse coding complete
Plaintiffs, individuals who allege they were stopped and interrogated by U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Olympic Peninsula without reasonable suspicion, filed suit under the Administrative Procedures Act against the Border Patrol on April 26, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Claiming that the patrol officers were stopping vehicles solely due to the race/ethnicity of the occupants, Plaintiffs asserted that their Fourth Amendment rights were being violated, and that the officers were acting in excess of their authority under 8 U.S.C. §1357 and 8 C.F.R. §287.8(b)(2) (generally requiring officers to have a reasonable suspicion that an occupant of the vehicle is illegally present in the United States in order to stop the vehicle). The Plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NIRP), asked the court for both declaratory and injunctive relief. Specifically, Plaintiffs requested that patrol officers be trained on what "reasonable suspicion" entails, and that the patrol office keep complete and accurate records of officer training and testing, as well as every vehicle stop. Plaintiffs also requested a master to oversee the implementation of these policies. Class certification is still pending. In challenging the Border Patrol's interrogations of Plaintiffs without reasonable suspicion, Plaintiffs cite Nicacio v. INS, in which the court stated it was unlawful for INS to stop vehicles occupied by persons of "Hispanic appearance" without particularized reasonable suspicion based on specific articulable documented facts. 595 F. Supp. 19, 26 (E.D. Wash. 1984).Defendants filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction on July 12, 2012. Defendants asserted that Plaintiff did not have standing and that there was no private cause of action under 8 U.S.C. §1357. Judge Benjamin H. Settle of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington denied this motion on August 27, 2012, stating that Plaintiffs were likely to suffer substantial and immediate irreparable injury (further stops without reason), and that Plaintiffs properly made a claim under the APA, 5 U.S.C. § 551, which provides a private cause of action. Sanchez v. U.S. Office of Border Patrol, No. 12-5378 BHS, 2012 WL 3715719 (W.D. Wash. 2012).The parties then began settlement negotiations, and reached a settlement in September 2013. The case was voluntarily dismissed. The settlement agreement provided:1) Border Patrol issued a letter to the ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project acknowledging that reasonable suspicion is required for investigative stops, including near the border, and that Border Patrol is "committed to [comply] with applicable Department of Homeland Security guidance, including with respect to the use of race or ethnicity in law enforcement activities." (Oddly, the letter referenced 2004 guidance, rather than stricter 2013 guidance. 2) One refresher training session for Border Patrol personnel on the Fourth Amendment.3) Every six months for eighteen months, CBP agreed to produce to plaintiffs' counsel Field Contact Data Sheets issued by agents at the Port Angeles, Washington Station, redacted to protect personal information.
Summary Authors
Dan Osher (3/9/2013)
Clearinghouse (12/5/2014)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4411059/parties/sanchez-v-united-states-office-of-border-patrol/
Adams, Matt (Washington)
Adams, Matthew (Matt) Hyrum (Washington)
Ambinder, Lloyd Robert (Washington)
Adams, Larry D (Washington)
Anderson, Gary L. (Washington)
Adams, Matthew (Matt) Hyrum (Washington)
Ambinder, Lloyd Robert (Washington)
Antonetti-Stutts, Salvador J. (Washington)
Arguello, Andres Alejandro (Washington)
Bakov, Angel Petrov (Washington)
Bell, Alexandria Lyubov (Washington)
Blumenthal, Norman B (Washington)
Brown, Jeffrey Grant (Washington)
Chattergoon, Ria Nikki (Washington)
Chilton, Alara T. (Washington)
Ehmann, Ricardo R (Washington)
Francolla, Brian Christopher (Washington)
Gainer, Brian Patrick (Washington)
Gellert, Nicholas Peter (Washington)
Gonzalez, Cynthia Marie (Washington)
Greenberg, Neil H. (Washington)
Henderson, Samuel (Washington)
Hernandez-Castro, Iris V. (Washington)
Houston, Federal Public (Washington)
Interpreter, Corpus Christi (Washington)
Klein, Suzanne Brooke (Washington)
Libby, Jason Bradford (Washington)
LoPalo, Christopher R. (Washington)
Macrae, Donald Scott (Washington)
McGlothlin, Lauren B. (Washington)
Nkeyasen, Clifford (Washington)
Pordy, Hope Allison (Washington)
Ramirez-Rangel, Leticia (Washington)
Reilly, Justin M. (Washington)
Saenz, Ruben Martin (Washington)
Seda-Ramos, Teresa M. (Washington)
Aronoff, Peter Max (Washington)
AUSA, Michael Sady (Washington)
Belsan, Timothy Michael (District of Columbia)
Berns, Matthew J. (Washington)
Bettwy, Samuel William (Washington)
Cha-Kim, Stephen Seungkun (Washington)
Chaudhury, Arastu Kabeer (Washington)
Church, Rebecca Grace (Washington)
Cohen, Rebecca Shapiro (Washington)
Cutler, David Gregory (Washington)
Dierberg, Michael James (Washington)
Dolinger, Samuel Hilliard (Washington)
Fuchs, Siegmund F. (Washington)
Goldsmith, Aaron S. (Washington)
Grant, Nicole Patrice (Washington)
Henson-DOJ, Angie L (Washington)
Hernandez, Ysabel Maria (Washington)
Hogan, Alexander James (Washington)
Jr, Victor Rodriguez (Washington)
Jude, Jennifer Ann (Washington)
Robinson, Stuart Justin (Washington)
Saltman, Julie Shana (Washington)
Stevens, Elizabeth J. (Washington)
Tosini, Stephen Carl (Washington)
Anderson, Gary L. (Washington)
Attorney, OIL-DCS Trial (Washington)
Attorney, Noticing INS (Washington)
Bauer, Jeffrey Michael (Washington)
Beckenhauer, Eric B (Washington)
Bennett, Michelle Renee (Washington)
Bennett, Richard Wesley (Washington)
Berwick, Benjamin L (Washington)
Chan, Priscilla To-Yin (Washington)
Coppolino, Anthony Joseph (Washington)
Darrow, Joseph Anton (Washington)
Davis, Kathryn Celia (Washington)
Dupre, Brock Darren (Washington)
Ernce, Lynn Trinka (Washington)
Evans, Walter Manning (Washington)
Fairchild, Katie Denise (Washington)
Feldman, Brian Marc (Washington)
Flentje, August E (Washington)
Freeborne, Paul Gerald (Washington)
Freeny, Kyle Renee (Washington)
Frey, Christopher Douglas (Washington)
Girdharry, Glenn M. (Washington)
Goettel, Katherine E (Washington)
Guzman, Gladys M. (Washington)
Habeas, US Attorney (Washington)
Hollis, Christopher W (Washington)
Jobe, Catherine Carlyle (Washington)
Johnson, Michael Brett (Washington)
Johnston, Coyt Randal (Washington)
Jones, Luke Matthew (Washington)
Kennedy, Sam Delk (Washington)
Kneedler, Jennie Leah (Washington)
LA-CV, Assistant US (Washington)
LeBeouf, Sunni Jones (Washington)
Lester, Robert Ira (Washington)
Lichtman, Jason Louis (Washington)
Martin, Edward J. (Washington)
McConaghy, Michelle Lynn (Washington)
McCord, Stacey Elise (Washington)
McShain, Heather Kirsten (Washington)
Medinger, Jason Daniel (Washington)
Melsheimer, Thomas M (Washington)
Mooppan, Hashim M (Washington)
Morabito, Douglas P. (Washington)
Morehead, Sarah K (Washington)
Morris, David Scott (Washington)
Murphy-Osborne, Maura (Washington)
Nestler, Emily B. (Washington)
Newton, Emily Sue (Washington)
Oswald, Craig Arthur (Washington)
Peluso, Abigail Lynn (Washington)
Pogorzelski, Anthony (Washington)
Press, Joshua Samuel (Washington)
Prime, Caroline Jane (Washington)
Reddy, Kirti Vaidya (Washington)
Robinson-Gaither, Eleanor A (Washington)
Rosenberg, Brad Prescott (Washington)
Rosenstein, Rod J (Washington)
Ruisanchez, Alberto (District of Columbia)
Schreiber, Glenn Kenneth (Washington)
Schwei, Daniel Stephen (Washington)
Security, Department of (Washington)
Sheffield, Carlton Frederick (Washington)
Sherer, Jeremy Paul (Washington)
Shumate, Brett A. (Washington)
Smith, Kathryn L. (Washington)
Smith, Sharon Denise (Washington)
Sneed, Sekret Tamara (Washington)
Spaccarotella, John C. (Washington)
Stegeby, Erik Kenneth (Washington)
Swinton, Nathan Michael (Washington)
Tannenbaum, Andrew Harris (Washington)
Theis, John Kenneth (Washington)
Tyler, John Russell (Washington)
Vargas, Jeannette Anne (Washington)
Walker, Chad Brian (Washington)
Wildasin, Mark H. (Washington)
Williams, Elizabeth Danielle (Washington)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4411059/sanchez-v-united-states-office-of-border-patrol/
Last updated Dec. 18, 2024, 6:26 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Washington
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: April 26, 2012
Closing Date: Sept. 27, 2013
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
All persons using a vehicle on the Olympic Peninsula who have been or will be stopped, detained, or interrogated by Border Patrol, excluding person disembarking from the international ferry in Port Angeles.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP)
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Mooted before ruling
Defendants
United States Border Patrol, Federal
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
Constitutional Clause(s):
Unreasonable search and seizure
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Content of Injunction:
Order Duration: 2013 - 2014
Issues
General/Misc.:
Discrimination Basis:
National origin discrimination
Affected National Origin/Ethnicity(s):
Affected Race(s):
Immigration/Border: