The ACLU of Texas, along with the law firm of Gibbs & Bruns, filed a class-action challenge against the federal government over the illegal detention of material witnesses at the La Salle County Regional Detention Center in Encinal, Texas near Laredo.
The six plaintiffs named in the challenge represent nearly 150 total witnesses in the case. None have been accused of a crime yet are being detained without a hearing or opportunity to contest the legality of their detention. Additionally, each were issued a $25,000 cash bond without access to a lawyer.
The complaint contends that the plaintiffs have had their due process rights violated, in addition to the violation of the federal Material Witness Statute. It requests the government order the release of the plaintiffs and class-action members.
