Four Wasco County residents sue jail that holds immigrants

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Four Wasco County residents have sued a jail that holds immigrants awaiting deportation or a hearing on their status.
 
The four assert they are taxpayers who helped pay for the jail in Wasco County, and the facility is violating an Oregon law that prohibits local authorities from helping federal authorities enforce immigration laws.
 
The suit names Wasco County and the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility. A county attorney and jail administrator Bryan Brandenburg did not immediately return messages seeking comment Monday.
 
The relationship between the jail and U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement gained attention in May when several detainees went on a hunger strike.
 
The spokeswoman for Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said at the time that it didn’t appear the jail was breaking state law because it wasn’t using resources to detect or arrest people.