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Douglas County halts immigration detainers

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska's most populous county has stopped honoring federal requests to hold immigrants in jail without a warrant.

Omaha's Douglas County has joined several others in the state in requiring a warrant for such holds, which have come under intense scrutiny from civil rights organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska and nonprofit immigrant advocate group Justice for our Neighbors have been pushing local authorities to stop the practice.

The 48-hour immigration detainers are issued to local law enforcement by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, asking that immigrants who have been arrested be held for two days after they would normally be released so that federal immigration officials can initiate an investigation and take people into custody, if necessary.

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