Suffolk County is seeking to pull the rug out from under a $112 million class-action payout to immigration detainees who were held longer than legally allowed — claiming the jury’s decision to hand over such a bloated payout was “fundamentally flawed.”
County officials appeared in federal court last week fighting to have last November’s landmark verdict thrown out or a new trial ordered over whether the whopping price tag can stand, according to court papers.
The decade-old case, which was filed during President Trump’s first term in 2017, stems from Suffolk’s policy to honor federal ICE detainer requests under former Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, which was found by the state to be unlawful in 2018.
After a jury delivered its decision in November, finding the municipality guilty of violating state law when it held immigrants on ICE detainers beyond their release dates for local charges, the case appeared to be over — only for the county to reopen the fight weeks later.
“The jury’s preposterous and unjust damages award cannot stand,” argued Suffolk’s attorney Thomas Dewey, adding the lead plaintiff’s testimony amounted to him being “sad” and confused over his detention.
The county argued that testimony, coupled with erroneous jury instructions, were the only factors used to determine the $37 million award to the class — with the remaining $75 million stemming from a separate loss-of-liberty claim that works out to roughly $115,000 per detainee, court papers detailed.
That award, the county argued, is so excessive it should “shock the conscience” of the court.
But LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the advocacy group who originally filed the lawsuit on behalf of roughly 650 immigrants, argued all of the county’s incurred expenses from this case are self-inflicted, court documents said.
The group further accused the county of prolonging the case and skirting responsibility with “meritless” motions — which they argued only adds to the mounting legal fees.
Judge William Kuntz II, who heard arguments in federal court last week, is now set to issue a written decision next month.
Until then, Suffolk has already dropped $650,000 to secure a $125 million surety bond — required by the court to ensure the funds are available should it lose the appeal — and has already paid its outside law firm over $2 million just last year alone, sources estimated.
Kuntz’s highly anticipated verdict comes as Suffolk’s relationship with federal immigration officials enforcement has come under increasing scrutiny.
In December 2025, a Trump-appointed judge in a separate lawsuit found the the feds in partnership with the county were both operating “inhumanely and unlawfully” by keeping immigration detainees crammed in the Central Islip courthouse holding room, and ordered them to stop holding detainees overnight on Long Island.
Suffolk also agreed last May to shell out an additional $18 million in taxpayer funds in a separate class action suit that accused county officials of turning a blind eye to “inhumane and unconstitutional” living conditions at the Riverhead and Yaphank lockups.
