Law firms, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP and Benno & Associates, managed to reach a million-dollar agreement with the city of New York to compensate over 20 thousand people who were unlawfully detained by local authorities in coordination with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the letter shared by both firms, between April 1, 1997, and December 21, 2012, over 20 thousand individuals were detained in New York City by local authorities through irregular statutes such as arrest without probable cause and prolonged detention beyond the established time.
As a result, and thanks to the agreement reached by the law firms and the city government of New York, all individuals who were victims of this type of arrests will be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in compensation.
"The collective settlement agreement of up to 92.5 million dollars was reached in the case of Onadia vs City of New York, in response to the claims of individuals who were unlawfully detained by the New York City Department," as stated in the document shared by the firms.
How to request compensation?
Following the agreement, the firms opened a claims period on February 14, which will remain "open" until May 15 of this year. According to the agreement, the majority of individuals detained during this period belong to the following countries:
-
Mexico
-
Dominican Republic
-
Haiti
-
Jamaica
-
Ecuador
-
Cuba
-
Colombia
-
Trinidad and Tobago
-
Honduras
-
Guayan
Regarding the amount to be received, the estimated sum is $10,000 per person. However, there are cases where the amount could be higher.
To start the process, even if the person is outside of the United States, it is necessary to communicate through the following channels:
-
Visit the site nycicesettlement.com
-
Call the number 1 800 479 0810
-
Send an email to NYCICESettlement@atticusadmin.com
According to the collective lawsuit, the detentions were carried out by local authorities based on a series of anti-immigrant strategies. In these operations, it was established that the individual could be held in custody for up to 48 hours with the intention of ICE continuing with the person's custody chain.
In this case, a large number of individuals were detained for longer than the established time, even for days or weeks, at the request of the then Department of Immigration and subsequently, ICE.
Despite the lawsuit, the city government of New York denied its responsibility but agreed to the 96 million dollar settlement to compensate the victims.
*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence