Suffolk County announced plans to appeal a jury’s award of $112 million to nearly 700 immigrants, who were ruled to have been unlawfully detained by the sheriff’s office in collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The decision follows a class-action lawsuit, with the county’s spokesperson, Michael Martino, expressing disagreement with the jury’s outcome.
The jury’s award will be distributed among 674 immigrants who were detained over a period exceeding four years. This decision stems from a federal judge’s ruling in January which found that the sheriff’s office on Long Island had infringed upon Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable seizures, as outlined in both federal and state constitutions. The jury also determined that the sheriff’s office violated due process by not allowing the immigrants to contest their extended detentions.
According to Andrew Case, a plaintiffs’ attorney with the advocacy group LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the jury’s verdict reflects a recognition of the harm caused by unlawful detention. “A jury of ordinary New Yorkers recognized the harm that unlawful detention causes and recognized the dignity and pain of our clients,” he stated. He added that the amount awarded indicates a valuation of the dignity and humanity of those affected.
Details from court documents reveal that the sheriff’s office continued to detain immigrants after its authority had expired, and in some instances, they were held even after their bail was paid. These detentions were in response to ICE detainers, which are requests from federal authorities to hold individuals until ICE agents can take custody for immigration enforcement.
The compensation will be allocated to immigrants detained by the sheriff’s office between July 18, 2014, and November 15, 2018, when the sheriff’s office ceased its practice of holding individuals under ICE detainers. This jury award follows a similar settlement in New York City, where the city agreed in December to pay up to $92.5 million to settle claims that it unlawfully detained more than 20,000 immigrants for ICE from 1997 to 2012. In that case, attorneys noted the difficulties in locating individuals eligible for compensation, particularly those who may have been deported.
Despite the challenges faced in identifying those entitled to the compensation, Case indicated that locating individuals for the Suffolk County settlement is not an immediate concern as preparations for the appeal are underway. The county’s move to appeal underscores the ongoing complexities surrounding immigration enforcement and the legal ramifications that can arise from detention practices.
