New York Immigrants to Receive $112 Million in ICE Detention Case

(NEW YORK) A federal jury in New York on November 8, 2025, awarded $112 million to a class of 674 immigrants who were kept at Suffolk County Jail after they should have been released because of ICE detainer requests between 2016 and 2018. The jury found the county and its Sheriff’s Office responsible for unlawful detention and due process violations.

The immigrants had either finished their jail sentences or had charges dismissed, yet many were still held for immigration pickup that did not arrive within the time limits set by federal policy. Jurors heard evidence that detainers are meant to be short-term requests; an ICE detainer asks a local jail to hold someone up to 48 business hours beyond their scheduled release so federal officers can take custody. Many people covered by the verdict were held longer—sometimes for days or weeks—after their legal basis for custody ended.

Jury finding and legal basis

• The ruling places blame on the county for honoring detainer holds without timely transfer and without legal authority to keep people in jail once their local cases were resolved.
• Lawyers for the class argued that due process requires more than a request; it requires lawful authority to detain someone. The jury agreed.

The verdict underscores that jails cannot extend custody based only on a request when there is no valid warrant or lawful basis to remain detained.

Policy Impact Brief

NY Verdicts Reinforce: ICE Detainers Are Requests, Not Orders — Driving Nationwide Jail Policy Shifts

Focus: Suffolk County verdict and NYC settlement create strong legal and financial pressure to end automatic, prolonged holds based solely on detainers.

Before ⇢

• Many local jails treated ICE detainers as automatic grounds to hold people beyond lawful release.
• Limited vetting of warrants or other independent authority prior to extending custody.

After ↑

• Courts reiterate: detainers are requests; continued custody needs independent, lawful authority.
• Operational changes: vet detainers, verify warrants/legal basis before any extension.
• Federal directives and settlements curb “no-release” practices starting March 2025.

⚖️ Suffolk verdict

$112M • 674 people

Liability risk

🏙️ NYC settlement

$92.5M • >20,000 people

Large class impact

💰 Combined awards

>$200M

Fiscal exposure

📅 Standards shift

Starts Mar 2025

Policy alignment

Timeline of Changes

March 2025

Federal-level directives and settlements require ICE to follow release policies, curbing “no‑release” practices.

Sept 2, 2025

NYC class-action settlement claims deadline; settlement totals $92.5M affecting more than 20,000 individuals.

Nov 8, 2025

Suffolk County federal jury verdict awards $112M to 674 immigrants for unlawful post-release detention.

Key Takeaways

• ⚖️ Legal principle: Detainers are requests—not orders. Holding beyond lawful release without independent authority risks due-process violations.
• 💸 Financial risk: New York awards now exceed $200 million, signaling tangible fiscal exposure for noncompliance.
• 🏛️ Operational shift: Jails must vet detainers, verify warrants/legal basis, and document decisions to avoid liability.
• 🌐 Broader reach: Outcomes likely influence county/municipal policies nationwide, prompting updated protocols and training.

Who This Affects

Local jails & county governments

Immigrants subject to detainers

Federal agencies (ICE)

Legal advocates & courts

Recommended Next Steps for Jurisdictions

• 🛡️ Implement a detainer vetting protocol: require documented, independent lawful authority (e.g., warrant) before any post-release hold.
• 📚 Train staff on due-process standards: emphasize that detainers are requests and on-time releases are mandatory absent lawful authority.
• 📝 Standardize documentation: log each detainer decision, legal basis checks, and release timing to create an auditable trail.
• 🔁 Align with federal directives (March 2025): update SOPs to curb “no‑release” practices and ensure timely transfers or releases.

Note: These steps reduce legal exposure and support consistent, rights‑compliant operations.

4 Major Changes vs. Prior Practice

• No automatic holds: Detainers alone cannot justify custody beyond lawful release.
• High fiscal stakes: Awards surpass $200M, raising the cost of noncompliance.
• Operational safeguards: Mandatory verification of warrants/legal authority before extending custody.
• Policy alignment: Federal directives and settlements push standardized release practices from March 2025.

References

• Suffolk County federal jury verdict (Nov 8, 2025): $112M to 674 immigrants
• NYC class-action settlement: $92.5M; claims deadline Sept 2, 2025; >20,000 individuals
• Broader legal and policy trends in 2025: Federal directives curbing “no‑release” starting March 2025

Scale, context, and related New York case

The Suffolk County verdict is among the largest immigrant-rights awards in recent U.S. history and marks a sharp rebuke of detainer practices in New York. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the award reflects growing judicial pressure on local and federal authorities to follow constitutional limits when using immigration holds—especially where people have cleared local charges or completed sentences.

Separately, the City of New York reached a $92.5 million class-action settlement for more than 20,000 individuals who were unlawfully held by the NYC Department of Correction on ICE detainers from April 1, 1997, to December 21, 2012. Eligible class members—coming from countries including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and others—may receive payments of $10,000 or more if they submit valid claims by September 2, 2025. Investigators documented more than 166,000 total days of custody beyond lawful release dates in that case.

Combined impact

• Together, the Suffolk County verdict and the New York City settlement push the combined total awarded or set aside for affected immigrants well past $200 million.
• While separate matters, both center on the same core question: When does honoring a federal request cross the line into violating constitutional rights by keeping someone detained without a valid reason?

Human impact

Inside Suffolk County Jail, class members had varied stories but the same outcome: they were ready to leave and were told to wait because “immigration wanted more time.” For many, that extra time stretched well beyond the 48-business-hour window detainers allow.

Consequences included:

• Missed paychecks and lost wages
• Missed immigration court dates
• Disrupted childcare and family arrangements
• Heightened fear that a loved one could be deported before seeing a judge

Officials’ positions and guidance

Officials and advocates have long debated how detainers should operate. ICE argues detainers help ensure safe transfers and keep communities safer. Courts in New York, however, have repeatedly warned that a detainer is a request, not an order, and that holding someone beyond their legal release requires an independent lawful basis.

For official agency guidance, see the ICE detainers page: ICE detainers.

Broader legal and policy trends in 2025

• In 2025, a federal judge directed ICE to follow release policies and end “no-release” practices—an order aimed at curbing prolonged holds that lack legal basis.
• There are settlements requiring the agency to stop unconstitutional detentions and adjust detainer practices nationwide starting in March 2025.
• Those orders target federal conduct, but local jails remain on the front lines where immigration requests and constitutional limits meet. Decisions to keep someone detained after the lawful release time can trigger serious liability.

Consequences for Suffolk County and other jurisdictions

• The verdict assigns responsibility to Suffolk County and its Sheriff’s Office for relying on ICE detainers without sufficient legal grounds.
• The county now faces the task of accounting for unlawful detention across hundreds of cases—each involving a person with a name, family, and often a local case that had already ended.
• County officials had not immediately detailed how they would process payments or whether they would seek post-trial relief, but the verdict serves as a warning to other jurisdictions.

New York City settlement: scope and claims process

The New York City settlement highlights how widespread the practice was across multiple facilities and years. It dates back to 1997, when city policy allowed extensive cooperation with ICE requests. Over time, court rulings and local laws narrowed that cooperation.

• The claims process runs through September 2, 2025.
• It aims to reach thousands who may now live far from New York, including people who returned to their home countries or moved to other states after release.

Policy implications and takeaways

• Advocates say these cases show the hidden cost of unlawful detention: irrevocable days behind bars and families who lose trust in the system.
• For local governments, the financial stakes are now clearer: jails that treat an ICE detainer as a standing order risk costly judgments like Suffolk County’s.
• Jails that vet requests carefully—checking for warrants or other lawful authority—are less likely to face similar judgments.

As VisaVerge.com reports, the combined New York awards may shape policy choices beyond Long Island and the five boroughs, influencing how counties respond to future detainer requests.

For the immigrants who waited in cells after the law said they were free to go, the Suffolk County jury’s award offers a measure of accountability. It does not rewrite the days spent behind bars, but it sends a message that time matters, rights matter, and that a request is not the same as a lawful order.