PHOENIX –-(ENEWSPF)–December 18, 2014. The ACLU obtained a judgment Wednesday against Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, two sheriff’s deputies and Pinal County on behalf of an Arizona woman who unlawfully spent five days in the custody of immigration authorities. Following a traffic stop, Maria Cortes was “cited and released” by a sherrif’s deputy who then instructed another sheriff’s deputy to transport Ms. Cortes to a nearby Border Patrol station. The $25,001 judgment resolves a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in federal district court in September.
