Lawsuit claims ICE withheld $300M in bond payments from immigrants

Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — A lawsuit alleges U.S. immigration authorities illegally kept more than $300 million in bond payments made by tens of thousands of low-income immigrant families and U.S. citizens. Law firm Motley Rice LLC says in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in New York that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement kept the money for so long that $240 million was transferred to a U.S. Treasury account for unclaimed funds. The lawsuit seeks class-action status for those who paid thousands of dollars in cash deposits to bail out family members detained by ICE. The agency says it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.