Immigrant Files $5M Lawsuit Against Howard County, Claims Constitutional Rights Violated

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — William Garcia Trejo, a Salvadoran man living in Maryland, has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Howard County. Trejo claims that a 2020 arrest for minor traffic violations that led to him being transferred into the custody of U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement was a violation of his constitutional rights because he was held without legal justification.

“Mr. Trejo was illegally turned over to ICE by Howard County, which had a long record of mistreating immigrant detainees,” Trejo’s lawyer Timothy Maloney said.

The lawsuit alleges that Howard County "engaged in a pattern and practice of violating detainees’ constitutional rights by coordinating with ICE." Not long after Trejo's arrest, the Howard County Council passed legislation that ended its contract with ICE. Although that bill was vetoed by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, he eventually ended the contract last year. The Maryland General Assembly also passed the Dignity Not Detention Act that prevents governments from joining immigration detention agreements.

According to court documents, Trejo was pulled over by a Maryland State Police trooper for talking on his cellphone while driving. He was arrested because he had outstanding citations including driving without a valid license and expired registration. He also had failed to appear in court to address those citations. Trejo immigrated to the U.S. on a work visa in 2012.

The case is docketed at Trejo v. Howard County, Maryland et al, 8:22-cv-01066.

Read more at The Daily Record.