A lawsuit is challenging the legality of the Metropolitan Police Department’s agreement with federal immigration authorities at the Clark County Detention Center.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed the suit Monday in District Court.
The civil rights organization is representing Sergio Morais-Hechavarria, who’s been held since August, after a judge in the same court ordered his release to an inpatient treatment facility when a bed was available.
Records show that a month prior, the 36-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted possession of a stolen vehicle, a gross misdemeanor.
When the Clark County Public Defender’s Office informed jail staff that the man was “ready to go,” it was told that he had an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold and that he would not