U.S. Citizen Unlawfully Detained and Nearly Deported by ICE

Peter Sean Brown is a U.S. citizen who lives in the Florida Keys. In April 2018, he was unlawfully detained — and nearly deported — as a result of a Florida sheriff’s improper collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The saga when Peter reported to the Monroe County Sheriff’s office for violating probation with a low-level, marijuana-related offense. Instead of quickly releasing him, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office told Peter that they were keeping him locked up to facilitate his deportation. ICE had faxed a request, known as a “detainer,” asking the sheriff to lock Peter up, so it could deport him to Jamaica. Peter repeatedly told the jail that he was a U.S. citizen and asked to show his birth certificate. He filed multiple grievance reports but was ignored entirely. The ACLU, ACLU of Florida and Southern Poverty Law Center brought a case against Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsey for violating Peter’s Fourth Amendment rights.