[JURIST] A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed [order, PDF] a lawsuit [ACLU materials] brought by illegal immigrant detainees over their transfer from Massachusetts to Texas holding centers following a March 6 factory raid in which 360 people were arrested. Lawyers for the detainees argued that the government moved them to Texas to deny the detainees legal aid, but the government countered that the reason for the move was that there was simply not enough space in Massachusetts to hold them. US District Judge Richard Stearns held Monday that his court did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims, but ordered the government not to deport the detainees until their claims can be filed in a court that possesses proper jurisdiction.

The US Department of Homeland Security [official website] detained more than 300 people for possible deportation as illegal immigrants after a March 6 raid at Michael Bianco Inc. [corporate website], a leather factory that makes equipment for the US military. Following the raid, Stearns ordered US immigration officials [JURIST report] to provide detainees access to lawyers and not to move them out of state. AP has more.