A day before Arizona native Leticia Jacobo was scheduled to be released from an Iowa jail, her mom visited to verify pickup details with the staff. Ericka Burns was excited to drive her daughter home after spending a month apart and wanted to make sure Jacobo wasn’t forced to wait a minute longer than necessary.
But jail staff told Burns that Jacobo wouldn’t be let go because she would be turned over to immigration agents — even though Jacobo is Native American.
The 24-year-old was born in Phoenix and is a member of Arizona’s Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. She was booked into the Polk County Jail in Des Moines, Iowa, where she currently lives, in September for allegedly driving with a suspended license. Jacobo was scheduled to be released on Nov. 11, but what should have been a routine process was complicated and delayed by an erroneously issued ICE detainer. She was ultimately allowed to leave just before 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 12…