A federal judge has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop conducting immigration raids at construction sites without a warrant within the jurisdiction of the Southern District of Alabama while a Baldwin County man's lawsuit plays out in court.

In an order issued by U.S. District Judge Jeffery Beaverstock the morning of Monday, Sept, 21, the injunction targets three policies from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In granting it, the order prevents immigration officials from entering construction sites without a warrant, detaining individuals without proof they are undocumented immigrants and detaining individuals who show evidence of citizenship or lawful presence, such as a valid ID.

The lawsuit was filed last year by Leo Garcia Venegas, a Florida-born man who has lived in Alabama for 12 years while working in construction for six years. Represented by the Institute for Justice, Venegas’ lawsuit challenges the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration enforcement practices.

In his lawsuit, Venegas says immigration officials apprehended him three separate times, twice at construction sites where he worked and once when driving home. He alleges that officials rejected his Alabama-issued REAL ID when he presented it to them, dismissing it as fake. He has not received any criminal charges following his encounters with immigration officials.

“For the first time in a long time, I will be able to go to work without worrying that I will be arrested for no reason,” Venegas said in a statement posted on the Institute for Justice’s website. “Americans cannot be stopped and held by law enforcement when they are doing nothing wrong.”

On Sept. 3, Beaverstock, a Trump appointee, denied the government’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit following a hearing in Mobile. Beaverstock previously ruled that Venegas has enough ground to sue, with a hearing involving both him and the government being held at the U.S. District Court in Mobile in May.

“This decision is a huge blow to DHS’s lawless enforcement practices,” Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Jared McClain said. “The government stood up in court and argued that they don’t need warrants to enter private construction sites and round up all the workers, and that they can’t trust government-issued IDs. By setting aside those unconstitutional policies, the court has restored the rule of law. Construction workers like Leo can finally go to work in peace again.”

GCM has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.