A federal judge<\/strong> has ordered Suffolk County, New York<\/strong>, to pay $112 million in damages<\/strong> after finding that local authorities unlawfully detained hundreds of immigrants<\/strong> on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)<\/strong> in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision, delivered by a federal jury, determined that both Suffolk County<\/strong> and the Suffolk County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/strong> violated the constitutional rights of 674 individuals<\/strong> who were held in county jails even after posting bail or resolving their criminal cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis decision brings long-overdue accountability,\u201d said Jos\u00e9 P\u00e9rez<\/strong>, Deputy General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF<\/strong>, which represented the plaintiffs. \u201cThe jury confirmed what we have argued all along \u2014 that Suffolk County\u2019s actions trampled the basic due process rights guaranteed under the 14th Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The case originated when a 34-year-old Guatemalan immigrant<\/strong> filed a complaint after being detained beyond his release date at a Suffolk County jail. Despite his family posting $1,000 bail<\/strong>, he was never informed of his release and was instead transferred to ICE\u2019s Varick Street Detention Center<\/strong> in Manhattan, then to Bergen County Jail<\/strong> in New Jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Court documents revealed that the man and others suffered loss of liberty, emotional distress, humiliation, and financial harm<\/strong> as a result of their extended detentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The case \u2014 Orellana Casta\u00f1eda et al. v. County of Suffolk and Suffolk County Sheriff\u2019s Office et al.<\/em> \u2014 became a class action lawsuit<\/strong> encompassing 674 individuals<\/strong> affected by similar unlawful holds. The ruling stated that the county had detained people solely \u201cfor ICE\u2019s administrative convenience,\u201d violating due process and New York state law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the verdict does not address Suffolk County\u2019s current policies<\/strong>, advocates say it echoes ongoing concerns about local law enforcement\u2019s cooperation with federal immigration authorities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday\u2019s verdict is justice served,\u201d P\u00e9rez said. \u201cOur clients\u2019 courage ensures these types of abuses will hopefully not be repeated.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The decision is one of the largest financial awards<\/strong> ever granted in a civil rights case involving immigration enforcement cooperation by a local jurisdiction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ruling found the county violated the constitutional rights of hundreds of immigrants held in jail after posting bail or resolving their cases. A federal judge has ordered Suffolk County, New York, to pay $112 million in damages after finding that local authorities unlawfully detained hundreds of immigrants on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[608,610,611,609,613,612,607],"class_list":["post-2657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s","tag-14th-amendment-violation","tag-ice-detentions","tag-immigrant-rights-case","tag-latinojustice-prldef","tag-new-york-civil-rights-case","tag-orellana-castaneda-v-suffolk-county","tag-suffolk-county-lawsuit"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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