U.S. Citizen Sues ICE for Wrongful Detention, Seeking $500,000 : Immigration Law Blog

On November 17, 2019, Carlos Rios was arrested by the Washington State Patrol in Pierce County, Washington, allegedly for driving his motorbike beneath the affect. Rios was imprisoned in Pierce County Jail, and his belongings had been confiscated. Upon his launch two days later, he was taken into custody by two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Rios repeatedly advised the officers that he was a U.S. citizen, however his protests went unheard.

Now, Rios, a welder on the Port of Everett, is suing ICE for illegal arrest, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional misery, and negligence. Rios can be searching for compensatory damages totaling $500,000. He’s represented in his lawsuit by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Mission (NWIRP).

Rios was born in Mexico, entered the U.S. within the Nineteen Eighties, and has lived right here ever since. He turned a naturalized citizen in 2000. “I can’t perceive why I used to be detained and why nobody listened to me,” he mentioned in a information launch issued by the NWIRP.

The Arrest by ICE

Rios mentioned he stored telling the officers who handcuffed him outdoors the jail that he was a U.S. citizen. Nobody listened to him, and as a substitute, put him in a van to be transported to the Northwest Detention Heart in Tacoma, the place he stayed for every week. Satirically, Rios was carrying a passport in his plastic bag however was by no means given the chance to indicate it to the officers.

His lawsuit says that he was stored in an remoted cell allotted to people who find themselves susceptible to self-harm. He slept on the ground. The officers additionally advised him that if he brought about bother, then even his garments can be confiscated.

Pierce County Jail Notified ICE of Rios’s Launch

The officers of the Pierce County Jail had notified ICE that Rios was to be launched. Nonetheless, as a result of county jail officers didn’t maintain him for any extra interval, they prevented violating any state legal guidelines. Six months in the past, Washington State handed a “Preserve Washington Working Act,” which prohibits cooperation between the state and immigration officers.

Rios faces the results of his disappearance. He claims that he misplaced his job and that his absence strained his marriage. Rios is searching for $500,000 in compensation for his humiliation and misery.

Wrongful Detention by ICE

U.S. Military veteran and Belize native, Rennison Castillo, was taken to the Tacoma facility, the place he was detained for seven-and-a-half months. He was detained regardless of having repeatedly claimed that he’s a naturalized citizen of the US. In 2010, the united statesArmy veteran obtained a $400,000 settlement and an apology from the Division of Justice. It was round that point that NWIRP investigated and compiled an inventory of 16 U.S. residents who had been topic to such wrongful detention in Tacoma.

Following many claims of wrongful detention, ICE instituted new insurance policies requiring officers to right away examine claims of citizenship and to immediately alert supervisors. ICE has additionally been warned in opposition to conducting discriminatory stops primarily based on the folks’s appears and the language they had been talking. The NWRIP has gained two $35,000 settlements from the federal authorities for comparable points.

To be taught extra about this weblog submit or you probably have another immigration issues, please be happy to contact me at rglahoud@norris-law.com or (484) 544-0022.