A Hispanic sued a law enforcement agency alleging that Tennessee has no authority to exercise immigration after his arrest and questioning of their status despite being a U.S. citizen.

Daniel Renteria Villegas accuses the Sheriff's Office Davidson County, which sits Nashville, the state capital, and the government of that place, of violating his right to a court process, intentional harassment and false imprisonment.

According to the paper "The Tennessean", the Spaniard was with other individuals on the night of Aug. 14 in a vehicle that police suspect was involved in a shootout.

Upon the occurrence of a chase, Renteria, who was then 17, was arrested for resisting arrest and for violating a curfew ordinance, which prevents children found late at night without parental supervision.

Although the family tried to bail, the lawsuit states that the prison authorities imposed an immigration detention order, although the individual gave a valid state ID, social security and also specified that he was born in Portland (Oregon) .

On August 20, the boy was released to surrender the original certificate of birth.

However, the investigation continued and Renteria was again arrested on charges of aggravated assault by accusing him of having fired the night of the incident.

Those charges were dismissed on 1 September by a judge, but the young man stood additional 12 hours detained by immigration investigations, according to the lawsuit.

Since April 2007, Davidson County applies the 287g program that gives the sheriff authority to question the immigration status of detainees.

Pro-immigrant organizations have criticized the measure by claiming that focuses on prosecuting foreigners for minor charges such as fishing without a license

"It is not the first time we meet to detain American citizens," Efe said David Morales, spokesman for Coalition for the Rights of Immigrants and Refugees (TIRRC).

The organization has complained in the past that since the implementation of 287g, the immigrant community have contact with police for fear of being taken to jail and processed for deportation.