GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO AM/FM) — The Kent County sheriff says her department will no longer detain suspects for Immigration and Customs Enforcement on request alone following the mistaken detainment of a U.S. citizen, a Marine Veteran who was born in Grand Rapids.
Sheriff Michelle Lajoye-Young announced yesterday the Kent County jail will no longer hold suspects for ICE unless it gets a court order from a federal judge or magistrate.
The change was made after former Marine Jilmar Ramos-Gomez was arrested in November and mistakenly sent to the Calhoun County Jail for three days, where ICE has a contract to detain prisoners.
ICE claims Ramos-Gomez told investigators he was an illegal immigrant, but his mother says he had his passport with him when he was taken into custody and that he has PTSD after a deployment overseas.
The ACLU claims it was racial profiling and they have called for an investigation.
Immigration officials say they were unaware he was a citizen until getting a call from his lawyer.
