A Key West man represented by the American Civil Liberties Union brought suit against Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay this week regarding his 12-hour detainment under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in April while the man was in the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island.
“Local law enforcement throughout this country has been caught in the middle of a political argument regarding immigration,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “Although I can’t respond as much as I would like on this case given the pending litigation, I always strive for transparency with the public, which all of us here at the Sheriff’s Office serve. This was an unfortunate case of mistaken identity by ICE regarding a subject who was initially in state custody for violating probation for a felony crime of violence against a police officer. My office was notified in writing by ICE that they had a Final Order of deportation signed by a Federal Judge for Mr. Brown. ICE additionally stated in writing they had confirmed Mr. Brown’s identity via biometrics (fingerprints). It is important to also note that when an inmate is held under an ICE matter, I, as Sheriff, do not have the legal authority to release that person. Though the Sheriff’s Office does not investigate immigration matters and while I cannot release detainees under ICE custody, I immediately took action when notified of this matter months ago. I ordered Sheriff’s Office detention deputies to immediately notify ICE of a detainee’s claims of citizenship and to follow up with those claims.”
Mr. Peter Sean Brown, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, was being detained on the state violation of probation matter mentioned above when ICE officials contacted the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office immediately notified Mr. Brown of the ICE hold approximately three weeks prior to his transfer to a federal detention center in Miami in an effort to give Mr. Brown and his attorney time to resolve the matter. Mr. Brown was detained for about 12 hours total on the ICE matter in the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island, before he was picked up by ICE.
Mr. Brown was detained for approximately 12 hours regarding the ICE matter under the Sheriff’s Office Basic Ordering Agreement with ICE. That Agreement was finalized this year. Under the agreement, the Sheriff’s Office can only hold an ICE detainee for no longer than 48 hours. ICE pays Monroe County $50 a day per ICE detainee as per the Basic Ordering Agreement. The purpose of the payment is to ensure that no local tax dollars are being spent on housing those in ICE custody. The payment goes directly to Monroe County and is not kept as part of the Sheriff’s Office budget.