Brentwood Man Files Complaint Against County, ICE For Alleged Illegal Detention

A Brentwood resident recently filed a complaint against Suffolk County and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after allegedly being "unconstitutionally detained" by the local sheriff at the request of federal immigration agents after his bail had already been posted, according to a press release from LatinoJustice.

The complaint was filed by 34-year-old Joaquin Orellana Castaneda, a native of Guatemala who has lived on Long Island for the past 12 years.

Orellana was arrested in Central Islip by Suffolk County Police in April for a traffic violation, according to the release.

He was arraigned the same day before a Suffolk County District Court judge, who set bail at $1,000 and released him into custody of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office.

Orellana’s family posted bail the following day, but the sheriff failed to release Orellana, who had been informed that he would be released when bail was posted and he was held by the sheriff after ICE agents requested he be held for another 48 hours, according to the release.

Orellana was detained at the jail before he was transferred to ICE custody, according to the release.

He is currently in custody at Bergen County Jail and is scheduled to appear in immigration court on Thursday.

“The current political climate regarding immigration issues has created an environment where situations such as Mr. Orellana’s are occurring all too often,” Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF said. “The ugly anti-immigrant history in Suffolk County has created an environment where Latinos have been routinely stopped by the police on the basis of their racial appearance for driving while brown.”