Los Angeles County will pay $ 14 million to immigrants for unjustified ICE detentions

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a US $ 14 million settlement for a class action lawsuit by pro-immigrant organizations. More than 18,500 people were detained without legal justification while they were being investigated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE). The events occurred between October 2010 and June 2014.

The payment of these compensations is the result of an out of- ourt settlement that the county Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday. This after a class action lawsuit sponsored by several pro-immigrant organizations. Among them, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU).

Under the agreement approved Tuesday, immigrants held in county jails on behalf of ICE will receive between $ 250 and $ 25,000. The figure depends on how long they were detained and other circumstances.

The lawsuit filed on October 19, 2012 argued that the detainees suffered two practices that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department found to violate state law. At that time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff was Lee Baca, who is now serving a three-year sentence in federal prison for obstructing a federal investigation.