A Marine combat veteran who was wrongly held for potential deportation for three days after a Michigan police captain reported him to federal immigration officials will be paid $190,000 by the city over the incident.
The Grand Rapids City Commission on Tuesday approved the settlement with Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, 28, who was held late last year at a detention center after he was suspected of being an undocumented immigrant, despite the fact that he was carrying his U.S. passport at the time and that he was born in Michigan.
Ramos-Gomez, who had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was released after his personal records were provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
The incident came after Ramos-Gomez was booked into the Kent County jail on Nov. 21, accused of trespassing and damaging a fire alarm at the Grand Rapids hospital. He pleaded guilty and was slated for release on Dec. 14 when ICE asked the jail to keep him locked up. He was then transported to a detention center and held for possible deportation.
Grand Rapids Police Capt. Curtis VanderKooi, who the ACLU said flagged Ramos-Gomez to ICE after hearing about his arrest on the news, was found to have violated department policy and served a 20-hour, unpaid suspension, Michigan Live reported.
The ACLU, which has accused VanderKooi of committing racial profiling, filed civil rights complaints against the Grand Rapids Police Department with the Michigan Immigration Rights Center in April.
The Grand Rapids Police Department in August said it would no longer check a person’s immigration status unless it is relevant to the case. Such requests to ICE would also require approval by the police chief’s office, Michigan Radio reported.