Lawsuit challenges El Paso County Sheriff’s Office attempt to hold immigrants

A lawsuit is challenging a Colorado sheriff’s attempt to hold immigrants for possible deportation by federal authorities.

The suit filed by the Colorado ACLU alleges that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is improperly holding people who are in the country illegally.

The immigrants are being kept in the jail after they’ve posted bail and otherwise cleared by a judge to leave. The Sheriff’s department says it’s merely housing the immigrants on behalf of federal agents who may want to deport them.

The ACLU says that violates an agreement all Colorado sheriffs made to release immigrants once they’ve served their time.

The ACLU says it is the first known challenge to an attempt by federal immigration authorities to work around court rulings that limit how they work with local sheriffs.