Stakes raised in seizure of illegal immigrants' stolen IDs
The state Supreme Court is asked to rule in Weld's probe of stolen IDs.
By Monte Whaley
GREELEY — ""Operation Numbers Game"" may soon be judged by the Colorado Supreme Court.
Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday asked the state's highest court to rule on the legality of the controversial effort in Weld County to snag illegal immigrants who were using stolen IDs.
Sheriff's deputies in October searched Amalia's Translation and Tax Service in Greeley and seized more than 5,000 files of tax records. Amalia's is certified by the government to process tax returns for illegal immigrants.
The probe targeted illegal immigrants who were accused of using stolen ID cards, as well as fake or stolen Social Security numbers.
Based on the search at Amalia's, about 100 people were arrested on fraud charges. Some have been deported.
But the ACLU sued on behalf of Amalia's, claiming the search violated the constitutional rights of privacy. District Judge James Hiatt agreed, issuing a preliminary injunction and halting the operation.
Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and Sheriff John Cooke appealed Hiatt's decision to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Two criminal cases, also part of Operation Numbers Game, have also been appealed to the Supreme Court. The brief says all three cases should be decided at once.
Lisa Hogan, attorney for Buck, said the appeal of Hiatt's ruling should remain in the Court of Appeals, pending a decision in the criminal cases in the Supreme Court.
There is no indication when the Supreme Court will take up the ACLU request.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_12214356
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