L.I. Teen Held For A Month On False Claim That She Was In MS-13, Attorney Says
BRENTWOOD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island teenager said she was taken by immigration authorities and detained behind bars on false allegations that she was a gang member.
As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, immigration authorities went to the 18-year-old woman's house in Brentwood and left a message that they needed to talk to the teenager.
When she returned home from work, she called them and they came and arrested her.
The woman's attorney, Bryan Johnson, said his client was accused of being an MS-13 gang member and detained for a month before a judge released her.
"I was shocked. That was all that they had was an anonymous observation that she was observed with other gang members," he said.
The teenager came to the U.S. in 2015 from El Salvador. Johnson said he has seen similar cases where young people are accused of being a gang member, but the accusations are false.
"If they fall into this net, and ICE will arrest any kid that has any kind of incident reported," he said.
