Civil rights complaint filed in man’s deportation case

VANCOUVER, Wash. – A civil rights complaint has been filed on behalf of a Vancouver man, alleging that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer eavesdropped on a courthouse conversation between the man and his defense attorney.

The Columbian reports that the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project filed the complaint on Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

It accuses the officer of violating Jorge Luis Acebal-Coria’s attorney-client privilege. In addition to the complaint, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project filed a motion with the U.S. Immigration Court in Tacoma to dismiss Acebal-Coria’s deportation case.

Lori Haley, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman for the Western Region, declined to comment on the pending litigation.