CHICAGO — Aleksey Ruderman swept and mopped the floors of McHenry County jail, wiped tables, and cleaned the showers and the toilets — all against his will and without being paid a dime, he says.
Ruderman, a Jewish immigrant from Belarus, was held at the jail on civil immigration charges from 2016 to 2019. He was detained after serving five years in prison in a fatal drunken driving case. He said he deeply regretted the incident and since has changed his life.
While facing possible deportation, he said, he was forced to help clean the jail on the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana, in violation of his religious beliefs.
