CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Federal judges in West Virginia are sharply criticizing a recent immigration enforcement campaign tied to President Donald Trump, accusing federal agents of violating constitutional protections and ignoring court rulings as mass arrests sweep through the state.
The operation, known as “Operation Country Roads,” was launched last month as a joint effort between federal and local law enforcement. Authorities say it led to roughly 650 arrests, many involving immigrants stopped while driving. The crackdown has triggered a surge of lawsuits from detainees — many with no criminal history and long-standing ties to the United States — seeking release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Four of the five active judges in the Southern District of West Virginia have issued a series of unusually forceful opinions condemning the tactics used in the operation. The rulings describe masked agents operating from unmarked vehicles, detentions carried out without warrants, and what the judges characterize as a pattern of arrests lacking due process.
In a Feb. 19 order, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin wrote that traditional judicial language was insufficient to describe what he called a systemic breakdown of constitutional safeguards. He said the practices resembled “raw force” rather than lawful authority and warned they posed a threat to the constitutional order.
Goodwin later issued what he called a “final notice” to federal officials, stating that repeatedly engaging in conduct already ruled unconstitutional could lead to sanctions, including contempt findings or financial penalties.
Other judges on the court echoed those concerns. U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers said the detentions had “tarnished” the American ideal, while U.S. District Judge Irene Berger accused federal authorities of showing a “lack of respect for the law” by continuing arrests despite adverse rulings. U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston warned that allowing the government to detain people without due process could endanger citizens as well as noncitizens.
“If the government can seize one person without due process, it can seize anyone,” Johnston wrote, cautioning that mistakes or abuses could ensnare lawful residents or U.S. citizens.
Berger also questioned the reliability of government records used to justify detentions, citing a case in which officials attributed a 2009 marijuana conviction to a detainee who would have been four years old at the time. She said the error raised broader concerns about the accuracy of the system used to deprive people of their liberty.
The judges have rejected proposals to rely on immigration bond hearings as a remedy, saying the process is ineffective because bond is routinely denied after what they described as perfunctory proceedings. Berger noted that government statistics showing some releases did not include the period when the West Virginia arrests occurred.
The district’s chief judge, Frank Volk, who was appointed by Trump, has not yet issued a ruling on the enforcement campaign.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Justice Department defended the administration’s approach, saying it is focused on public safety and criticizing what the department called “activist judges.” The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
Despite their sharp language, the judges said they do not fault government attorneys appearing in court, instead placing responsibility on federal agencies that they say have failed to comply with judicial orders.
Goodwin wrote that ignoring court rulings undermines the rule of law and discredits public servants who follow it, adding that constitutional protections cannot be enforced “in installments.”
