HOUSTON — A Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been temporarily reassigned after allegedly detaining a 23-year-old woman for more than an hour during a traffic stop while waiting for federal immigration officers to arrive, officials said Wednesday.
The incident involved Joceline Penaloza Magana, who the deputy stopped after her vehicle partially blocked an intersection at Westheimer Road and State Highway 6, according to her family.
A family member said during a Wednesday press conference that the deputy contacted immigration officials and kept Magana at the scene for about an hour while waiting for them to respond.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers later arrested Magana, who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, said Kim Bruno, an attorney representing her. Magana remains detained at the Montgomery ICE processing center north of Houston, Bruno said.
“Joceline complied with officers and it didn’t get her anywhere,” Bruno said.
Tess Rowland, a Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said the agency is reviewing the traffic stop to determine whether the deputy followed department policies. She did not provide details about the agency’s procedures for coordinating with ICE.
“The deputy has been temporarily assigned to non-traffic enforcement duties pending the outcome of the internal review,” Rowland said in a statement to Houston Public Media.
The case comes as local officials continue to examine how law enforcement agencies coordinate with federal immigration authorities.
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis directed the county attorney’s office in April to develop guidelines for county law enforcement agencies’ interactions with federal immigration officers. The county attorney’s office did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for an update.
Cesar Espinoza, executive director of immigrant rights organization FIEL Houston, said he has asked the sheriff’s office to clarify its procedures following Magana’s arrest.
Espinoza said the sheriff’s office should take disciplinary action if investigators determine that the deputy violated agency policy.
