A Mexican man who recently settled a lawsuit over claims he was sexually assaulted in a jail in Jefferson County has been moved to a detention facility near Denver.
Attorney Shahid Haque says he wants his client, Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, returned home to his family in Montana.
"He is the sole financial provider for all seven children," he says. "Without his financial support it’s going to be difficult for the family to visit their father until he’s returned to Montana.”
Orozco-Ramirez was arrested last week during a regular check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.
Haque says ICE intended to put his client on a plane to Mexico within days, but a federal appeals court temporarily blocked that deportation. However, Orozco-Ramirez is still in ICE custody.
On Friday, he was transferred from a county jail in Utah to the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado.
The privately-owned center is often used to house immigrants waiting on court dates to clarify their status. But Haque says it could be months before the court hears his case.
Orozco-Ramirez lived in Montana for over two decades. In 2013, he was arrested during a traffic stop and placed in custody after immigration officials determined he entered the country illegally. Orozco-Ramirez says he was then sexually assaulted while in ICE custody at a jail in Jefferson county.
Late last year, Orozco-Ramirez agreed to a $125,000 settlement with the county.
