American Citizen Arrested, Jailed as Suspected 'Alien,' Lawsuit Filed

"Plaintiff Angelica Davila is a U.S. citizen who was born in Mexico.  Local and federal officials nonetheless collaborated to detain her by the side of the road for several hours and imprison her at the Allegheny County Jail for eleven hours based on the groundless belief that she might be an undocumented and deportable alien." - Davila v. Northern Regional Joint Police Board et al.

"This is a blatant example of ethnic profiling," said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "The police had no reason to check Ms. Davila's immigration status for a routine traffic stop when her paperwork was in order. The police questioned her status only because of her ethnicity and that of her passenger." - ACLU, Jan. 15, 2013.

ACLU staff attorney Sara Rose, left, and plaintiff Angelica Davila.