Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine were joined by elected officials at a press conference on Wednesday, January 8 at 11:30 a.m. to announce the county’s challenge to a recent decision by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York that held Suffolk County taxpayers liable for honoring ICE detainers for prisoners who were unlawfully present in the United States. The lawsuit seeks damages and fees which could exceed $60 million.
In 2016, former Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DiMarco directed that the Suffolk County Jail would honor ICE detainers accompanied by a Department of Homeland Security warrant of arrest/removal/deportation and that prisoners subject to the ICE detainers would be “held for up to 48 hours after the time the prisoner would otherwise be released.”
A 2018 court decision determined that the Suffolk Sheriff lacked the authority to detain the prisoners according to the ICE detainers, and the practice was discontinued. ICE was dismissed from the class action lawsuit that ensued, while on January 2, 2025, Suffolk County was held liable for honoring the ICE detainers.