On January 15, 2013, the ACLU-PA filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Angelica Davila, a U.S. citizen who was born in Mexico and legally immigrated to this country at the age of 2 with her parents. After being stopped for a minor traffic violation in 2011, Davila was arrested and imprisoned in the Allegheny County Jail overnight based on the erroneous belief she was in the country illegally.
In July 2015, the ACLU-PA reached a settlement with Allegheny County. The county agreed to stop honoring immigration detainers from federal authorities that request that a person be held in jail for up to 48 hours after he or she would otherwise be released. The county also agreed to pay $25,000 in damages to Davila. The settlement agreement with Allegheny County was filed with the court on Nov. 18, 2015.
The case continues against ICE and the police defendants.
