ACLU sues LA Sheriff Department for illegal jailing of people

The lawsuit also accused LA authorities of holding arrestees for several days or months, despite being eligible for bail.

According to Sheriff’s Department, the holds are part of the federal government’s Secure Communities program, but the ACLU believes that illegal detentions are just a small part of the civil liberties violations caused by the federal government.

    The controversial program sends the fingerprints of all detainees through an immigration database. However, several studies have shown that the program oftentimes leads to the arrest of legal residents.


A recent study by the Warren Institute shows 93 percent of people arrested under the program are Latino.

Data from the Sheriff’s Department also indicates last year that at least 20000 Latino males were detained at the county jail for immigration holds.

The Sheriff’s Department declined to comment on the lawsuit. But advocates say the problem is not isolated to Los Angeles County since immigration holds have caused bail denials in at least 17 California counties, including Orange and San Diego.