ANACORTES — A Skagit County man who is a Mexican national is suing the federal government over the way he was treated after a traffic stop in Anacortes.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports Gustavo Vargas Ramirez spent two months in detention under threat of deportation for failing to signal before a left turn.
He is being represented by the Northwest Immigration Rights Project and is suing the government for psychological, physical and professional damages.
The Border Patrol says he was held because they couldn’t verify his immigration status.
His lawyers say Ramirez spent 10 weeks in detention and was not allowed to post bail, even though he had no criminal record. The deportation process was closed on Feb. 6 and he was released.
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