Bay Area Law Firms Form Immigration Task Force

A coalition of San Francisco Bay Area attorneys, including some of the area's biggest-name law firms, has formed a task force to represent immigrants who may have been targeted in unconstitutional federal raids.

Among the law firms who pooled their resources to put together a 60-attorney pro bono defense team are Dechert; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; and Wilson Sonsini, according to a local NBC affiliate. They will be working with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in San Francisco.

The task force reportedly plans to challenge the legality of raids and tactics used by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, such as searching an apartment without a warrant or pressuring an immigrant to talk with investigators.

"We do have the resources to help all our clients," says Andrew Thomases of Dechert. "All individuals have constitutional rights, and we want to make sure the rights are not violated, and the government is not violating the Fourth or Fifth Amendment when doing searches and seizures."

In a written statement, ICE said that the country welcomes "law-abiding" immigrants. However, "those who violate our laws and commit crimes against our citizens should understand that ICE is going to use all of its tools to find you and send you home," the federal agency writes.