Federal Jury Rules Against Suffolk County for Wrongful Detention of Immigrants

A federal jury has determined that Suffolk County, New York, improperly detained undocumented immigrants in 2017, leading to a substantial compensation of $112 million for the affected individuals.

This month, a jury in a Brooklyn court unanimously found in favor of the immigrants, granting $75 million for illegal detention and an additional $37 million for violations of due process. The ruling has been reported by various news outlets.

County officials have expressed their disagreement with the jury’s ruling and intend to pursue an appeal.

“We respectfully disagree with the court and jury’s decision,” said Mike Martino, a spokesperson for County Executive Edward P. Romaine. “There are several legal aspects we plan to address during the appeals process.”

Judge William F. Kuntz II of the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn stated that the county had breached the constitutional rights of numerous immigrants detained between 2016 and 2018.

The issues surrounding immigrant rights abuses were said to have occurred under former Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, who advocated for cooperation with ICE. This practice was deemed illegal by a 2018 court ruling, which put an end to the policy.

During the 2018 proceedings, it was contended that Sheriff DeMarco’s collaboration with federal agencies violated state law, particularly relating to holding immigrants for longer than 48 hours.

The lawsuit was initiated on behalf of Joaquín Orellana Castaneda, a Guatemalan national released on local charges but detained for an additional two days afterward. He was among 650 plaintiffs in this class action case.

Orellana, currently deported, is expected to testify remotely from Guatemala, and many others in the class, also deported, will receive compensation in their home countries. However, a formula for the distribution of these funds has yet to be determined.

County Attorney Chris Clayton argued that the county should be exempt from liability since it acted as an agent for federal authorities regarding immigration. However, the judge and jury did not agree, and county officials are proceeding with their appeal.