Dona Ana County will stop holding people in jail without charge at the request of federal immigration authorities.
The Dona Ana County Detention Center recently announced it would no longer honor requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people arrested on unrelated charges for 48 hours while agents investigated their immigration status.
Immigrant rights groups lauded on Tuesday the decision and said it loosens disputed ties between local and federal law enforcement agencies.
Advocates also announced the settlement of a lawsuit against Dona Ana County involving two sisters who were detained for two months under an ICE "48-hour detainer" without being charged with an immigration violation.
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