“The purpose of these pedestrian 'checkpoints' is to conduct a fishing expedition to find any possible basis, no matter how tenuous, for issuing citations to or arresting human beings seeking refuge from a Class 5 hurricane,” according to the lawsuit filed by Virginia resident Andres Borreno, risk manager for Nexus Services Inc., which funds legal services for immigrants. “The problem is that these searches and seizure are not based on any suspicion of criminal conduct. Suspicion is not raised by trying to gain entry into an emergency shelter to save one's life and the lives of family members.”

Borreno claims he was stopped from entering a Polk County shelter on Sept. 9 and asked to submit to a criminal background check.