Immigration Lawsuit Targets Texas Sheriff

A Texas sheriff is the target of an immigration lawsuit claiming that she detained undocumented immigrants and denied them due process under the law. The immigration lawsuit claims that Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez held at least 16 immigrants for more than 48 hours after their bonds had been set. In some cases, according to the immigration lawsuit, detainees were held in the Dallas County Jail for months while waiting for federal immigration officials to transfer them to other facilities and start their deportation hearings.

Details of the Immigration Lawsuit

The lead attorney in the immigration lawsuit claims that Sheriff Valdez held undocumented immigrants for up three months on minor charges. The detention was part of the sheriff’s department’s cooperation with federal immigration agencies. Local law enforcement offices were working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and holding undocumented immigrants for up to 48 hours after their were scheduled to be released. The immigration lawsuit alleges that the long detentions in Dallas County violated the immigrants’ right to due process.

Immigration Lawsuit Cites Long Detentions

The attorney leading the immigration lawsuit against Sheriff Valdez claims that she violated the U.S. Constitution by holding one man for three months on a misdemeanor charge. The attorney told reporters that his client “was held pretrial by Dallas County” for the entire time. He stated that the immigration lawsuit he is bringing against the department shows that such lengthy detentions are “what we are trying to prevent.”

Immigration Lawsuit and Policy Changes

Last month, prior to the immigration lawsuit, Sheriff Valdez announced that her department would no longer hold immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally who were facing minor charges. The change in Dallas County policies reflects those in other jurisdictions. Numerous local law enforcement agencies have enacted policies to reduce or eliminate their cooperation with ICE and other federal immigration agencies. The decisions came after a ruling in another immigration lawsuit found that detaining immigrants at the request of ICE was unconstitutional.

Immigration Lawsuit Draws Fire From Governor

The change in the Dallas County policy has drawn the attention of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. As the state’s attorney general, Mr. Abbott led an immigration lawsuit against President Barack Obama for a series of executive orders that allowed illegal immigrants to defer their deportation hearings. Governor Abbott informed Sheriff Valdez that her department could face penalties from the state for its policy changes.

Source: ABC News

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