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(Courtesy of Tania Bernal/California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance)
Four men who were set to be released from California prisons earlier this year but were instead handed over to federal immigration authorities for potential deportation are seeking thousands of dollars in damages from the state.
The claims, filed Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and Asian Law Caucus, seek over $25,000 for each of the former inmates, who allege they have suffered harms and higher health risks from COVID-19 while locked up at immigration detention centers that faced outbreaks.
The claimants include an American citizen who was erroneously held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being released from state prison, according to the filings, and a father of two originally from the Philippines who became seriously ill after contracting COVID-19 at an ICE facility in Bakersfield.