Brooks v. Woods

The American Civil Liberties Union, along with the ACLU of Florida, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, filed a federal lawsuit on Jan. 20, 2022, on behalf of Neville Brooks, a legal permanent resident from Jamaica who was detained by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) on false suspicion of being in the U.S. unlawfully.

The lawsuit was filed against the Marion County sheriff and his deputies, who detained Brooks without any request or warrant from federal immigration enforcement officials.

The case challenges Brooks’ unlawful detention and MCSO’s discriminatory policy of detaining and referring all foreign-born individuals, or those perceived as foreign-born, to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even if they are American citizens or otherwise lawfully in this country.

The lawsuit seeks damages and injunctive and declaratory relief for Brooks. The case, Brooks v. Woods, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.