U Of M, ACLU Sue ICE Over Detentions In Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The University of Minnesota says its Center for New Americans, along with other legal groups, has filed a class action lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly detaining immigrants for months, even after a judge has ruled that they cannot be deported.
The school, in concert with the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm Dorsey & Whitney, filed the lawsuit on behalf of those who face torture or persecution in their home countries and have been granted deportation protection by a judge. In this case, the immigrants are allowed to be released or be deported to another country where they also have citizenship.
However, the school says that some of these protected people are being detained at county jails in Minnesota, even when there's no country they could be deported to. The typical detention period is 90 days.
"The government is spending millions of dollars locking up people whose detentions serve no purpose," said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the ACLU-MN, in a statement.
The lawsuit against ICE argues that holding immigrants after a judge grants protection violates the U.S. Constitution, national ICE policy and Supreme Court precedent.
