Unlawful Hold: Legal U.S. resident jailed as Florida sheriff sought ICE detainer
Southern Poverty Law Center, March 4, 2022: Unlawful Hold: Legal U.S. resident jailed as Florida sheriff sought ICE detainer
“Just hours after being arrested on a misdemeanor charge that was later dropped, Winston posted $100 bond and thought he would be released.
Under the law, he should have been set free. Instead, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) in Ocala, Florida, had moved him from a holding area and decided to keep him in an overcrowded housing area for a second night while repeatedly asking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whether it wanted to take him into custody.
Why?
Because of his nationality, and because the MCSO had a financial incentive to do so.
The fact is, Winston – whose name has been changed for this story – is a lawful permanent resident in a state with nearly 4 million people who were born in other countries and are now naturalized citizens or legal residents of the U.S.”
Additional reading:
ACLU Florida, March 20, 2019: Citizens on Hold: A Look at ICE’s Flawed Detainer System in Miami-Dade County
Community Justice Project, December 14, 2018: Fighting ICE Detainers
