The city of Huntington Park concluded an agreement with the control service of Immigration and Customs (ICE) after facing federal prosecution for unlawful immigration detention.
The practice, according to the plaintiffs, violated California securities law.
The agreement states that the city of Huntington Park will end all requests from ICE to detain undocumented immigrants once they are intercepted by police.
Ice develops a program to give identity cards to immigrants. Reports Norma Ribeiro on July 26, 2022.
This practice, according to the Southern California Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), resulted in the transfer of some 29 immigrants to ICE between 2018 and 2019.
Three years later, Huntington Park authorities announced significant changes to this controversial policy.
“The city and the police department have agreed to a legal mandate that ensures these rights are protected,” said Arturo Flores, one of the city councilmen.
This change stems from a federal lawsuit filed against the city of Huntington Park by one of its residents.
Luis Maldonado Aguilar was handed over to ICE after being arrested for public alcohol intoxication in 2019. He was held at Adelanto Detention Center for 46 days.
Maldonado’s lawsuit against Huntington Park alleged his arrest violated the California Securities Act, which prohibits police from interviewing and detaining people for crimes related to immigration violations.
A lawsuit has been filed against ICE over the surveillance programs it uses to monitor immigrants.
The city of Huntington Park has pledged to end detentions at the request of ICE.
He also announced that he would donate more than $74,000 to the Council of Mexican Federations of North America (COFEM) to hold seminars and educate the public about ICE detentions.
Telemundo 52 contacted Luis Maldonado Aguilar’s lawyer but did not comment on the deal. However, she told the Los Angeles Times that her client was happy with the settlement, which will benefit other families.