Suffolk County Ordered to Pay $112 Million to Hundreds of Illegal Aliens After Obama Judge Rules They Were ‘Unlawfully Detained’ by ICE
Suffolk County has been ordered to pay $112 million to more than 600 illegal immigrants after a federal judge ruled they were unlawfully detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
U.S. District Court Judge William F. Kuntz II, appointed by Barack Obama, issued the decision following a lawsuit filed by a Guatemalan national living on Long Island. The man alleged that local authorities held him in custody beyond his lawful release date so ICE could take him into federal detention.
The court determined that the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office violated state law and the detainees’ constitutional rights, as New York does not permit local law enforcement to hold individuals solely for federal immigration purposes.
According to court documents, the case began in 2017 when the plaintiff was arrested in Central Islip and questioned about his immigration status. His cousin later posted a $1,000 bail under the condition that he would appear in immigration court. However, the plaintiff was never told that bail had been paid. Instead, he was transferred from a Suffolk County jail to ICE’s Varick Street Detention Center in Manhattan, and then to the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey.
The individual lawsuit expanded into a class action, ultimately representing 674 detainees who were held after their bail had been posted or their cases resolved. The ruling holds both Suffolk County and its Sheriff’s Office financially liable for violating due process protections under the 14th Amendment.
“This decision brings long-overdue accountability,” said plaintiffs’ attorney José Pérez, Deputy General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “The jury confirmed what we have argued all along — that Suffolk County’s actions trampled the basic due process rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”
The $112 million judgment now falls on Suffolk County taxpayers. County officials have not yet announced whether they will appeal the decision.
President Trump has previously criticized policies that restrict local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, arguing they undermine national security and public safety.
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