Lawsuit: California prisons target ‘foreign-born’ inmates

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A lawsuit filed in state court alleges California’s corrections agency routinely refers inmates who appear to be “foreign-born” to federal immigration authorities even if they are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit filed Thursday in Alameda County also says that inmates reported to U.S. immigration are denied access to rehabilitative programs. A spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said they are reviewing the filing. The American Civil Liberties Foundation of Northern California and others filed the complaint. The lawsuit says corrections officials refer hundreds of people a year to federal immigration authorities because of their national origin, ethnicity and other prohibited classifications.