Immigrants who believe they’ve been mistreated by government officials generally have a few possible legal paths for damages: claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, federal civil rights statutes, or so-called “Bivens” actions against individual federal officials. A private lawsuit directly under the immigration statutes themselves is much harder to bring, since those laws don’t explicitly create that right — courts have generally been reluctant to imply one.
If you believe you’ve been mistreated by immigration officials, an immigration attorney can help you figure out which of these paths, if any, fits your situation.