WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Citing \u201cthe most illegal search I have ever seen in my life,\u201d a magistrate judge is upbraiding the federal government for the way it has handled arrests in the District of Columbia this month and says the possible effects \u2014 violations of rights and the potential for illicit detentions \u2014 are not legally acceptable. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t just charge people criminally, throw them in the jail for a few weeks and then bring them in here and say, \u2018Oops, my bad,\u2019\u201d Judge Zia Faruqui said from the bench Monday. \u201cI have never ever in my life seen something close to the illegality of this search.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spoke during a series of hearings this week for people who landed in federal courtrooms on the direction of the Justice Department on charges that, in most jurisdictions, would be handled by local authorities. <\/p>\n
Over a very odd two weeks, hundreds have been arrested since President Donald Trump\u2019s crime crackdown<\/a> flooded the nation\u2019s capital with federal agents and troops. What\u2019s happening to them after their arrests is alarming many defense attorneys \u2014 and at least one judge \u2014 as the cases stack up in federal courtrooms.<\/p>\n Some people facing nonviolent charges have remained jailed for days in Washington while waiting for their initial court appearances. Their lawyers believe the government is prosecuting lower-level cases that are typically handled by local authorities and don\u2019t belong in federal court \u2014 or any court. <\/p>\n The White House says over 1,000 people have been arrested since the operation started Aug. 7. They\u2019re facing a wide range of charges, including assaulting law-enforcement officers and illegal possession of drugs and firearms. Nearly half of the arrests are for immigration cases, according to one list circulated by law enforcement.<\/p>\n Approximately 20 people arrested during surge-related patrols have been charged in federal district court, according to an Associated Press review of court records. Many other cases are going to D.C. Superior Court, which handles less serious local offenses.<\/p>\n One case has already been dropped<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors already have dropped a case amid complaints that the man was illegally searched.<\/p>\n