ACLU sues Teller County Sheriff for holding prisoner for ICE

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union over the detention of a single man suspected of being in the country illegally.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit Monday saying Mikesell is violating Colorado law by “continuing to jail an individual who is eligible for release, at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

It’s over the detention of Leonardo Canseco, who’s being held on two misdemeanor charges with a bond of $800. The ACLU says Mikesell is “acting on a detainer request from immigration authorities, who suspect that Canseco is removable from the country.” That means Canseco would remain in jail if he posted bond for the misdemeanor charges.

We’ve reached out to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office for information on Canseco’s immigration status and charges. No official response to the lawsuit has been issued at this time.

The ACLU says “Colorado sheriffs have no authority to enforce federal immigration law.”

A similar lawsuit was filed against El Paso County Sheriff Elder for his ICE detention holds, and in March, a judge ordered Elder to release two prisoners and to “stop relying on ICE detainer requests ad grounds for refusing to release individuals.” Despite that lawsuit, a deal between the county and ICE was renewed this year.