A Native American woman was nearly handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be deported after an Iowa jail wrongfully issued a detainer.
Despite Leticia Jacobo, 24, being a U.S. citizen and a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona, Polk County Jail told her mother she was being turned over to ICE.
Highlights
- A Native American U.S. citizen, Leticia Jacobo, was nearly deported after Polk County Jail mistakenly issued an ICE detainer on her file.
- Jacobo’s family fought the wrongful detainer by providing proof of citizenship and tribal ID, using social media and tribe leaders to intervene.
- Polk County Jail claimed the detainer was human error, intended for another inmate, highlighting mistakes in immigration enforcement.
Jacobo was arrested in September for allegedly driving with a suspended license.
Leticia Jacobo is a Native American, but a detainer was issued on her file
Image credits: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Ericka Burns, her mother, had attended the facility on November 10 to speak to staff about when she should pick up Jacobo, who was scheduled to be released the following day.
But, as reported by the Arizona Mirror, staff at the prison told her that Jacobo would not be released and was being handed over to ICE, something Jacobo was never informed about.
Maria Nunez, Burns’ sister, told the outlet that the whole situation was terrifying and staff were initially not willing to correct their mistake.
“My sister said, ‘How is she going to get deported if she’s a Native American?’ and ‘We have proof,’” Nunez said.
“They said, ‘Well, we don’t know because we’re not immigration and we can’t answer those questions. We’re just holding her for them. So, when they pick her up tonight they’re going to go ahead and deport her to wherever they’re going to take her, but we have no information on that.’”
Image credits: Google Maps
In a desperate bid to stop the U.S. citizen from being deported from her own country, Jacobo’s family put out social media appeals and contacted local tribe leaders.
Burns returned to Polk County Jail with Jacobo’s birth certificate and refused to leave in case ICE showed up to detain her daughter.
Eventually, the situation was resolved, and Jacobo was released from prison shortly before 4:30 a.m. on November 12.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the prison, told the Arizona Mirror that the detainer had been put on Jacobo’s file by mistake and was intended for another inmate.
“It was human error, but I’m sure as soon as the command staff find out about it, they’re going to have some meetings with their supervisors internally and be like, ‘Hey, guys, we gotta keep our thumb on this, this is silly,’” spokesman Lt. Mark Chance said.
Polk County Jail has a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which allows local law enforcement to handle some immigration tasks.
The incident raises questions over racial profiling by authorities
Image credits: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Those tasks include preparing removal paperwork, questioning arrestees about citizenship, checking information against DHS databases, and issuing detainers.
While officials have said the detainer was issued in human error, it has sparked concerns over racial profiling.
Nunez told the Arizona Mirror she didn’t buy the official explanation, given her niece had been booked into that same facility previously and her Social Security number was on file.
Jacobo also had her tribal identification with her and had been fingerprinted.
“I do want to say that it’s racial profiling because she’s been there before, they have a rap sheet on her—why would they make a mistake with someone that’s constantly coming in?” Nunez said.
The family is considering taking legal action.
The incident comes amid mass deportations and an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump.
In January, Navajo Nation leaders raised the alarm after reporting that at least 15 indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico had been questioned or detained by ICE.
Since Trump returned to office, the number of detainers being issued daily has jumped by 72%.