US citizen from San Bernardino held by immigration agents wins $55K settlement

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A Southern California woman has settled a lawsuit alleging she was unlawfully detained by local authorities and federal immigration agents despite protesting that she was a U.S. citizen.

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California said Friday that Guadalupe Plascencia will receive $55,000 from the federal government and San Bernardino County.

The 60-year-old hairstylist from San Bernardino has been a U.S. citizen for nearly two decades.

The county Sheriff's Department took her into custody in March of last year on an old warrant for failing to appear as a witness in a court case.

After her release, federal immigration agents detained her despite her protests that she was a citizen. Plascencia was handcuffed and held briefly before her daughter arrived with her U.S. passport and she was freed.