Deportation Stayed In Md. Race Bias Case
FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- A lawyer for a Salvadoran woman suing two Frederick County sheriff's deputies for race discrimination says her client's deportation has been delayed.
Casa de Maryland staff attorney Zorayda Moreria-Smith said Wednesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted Roxana Santos a one-year stay Thursday, one day before her scheduled deportation.
Santos claims to have suffered discrimination in 2008 when the deputies detained her for what they called suspicious behavior. A background check revealed her illegal immigration status.
Santos claims she was singled out for her ethnic appearance amid overzealous enforcement of immigration laws. The deputies say they properly detained her because she tried to hide as they drove down the street.
The defendants in the federal lawsuit have denied any wrongdoing.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
