County officials briefed the Board of Supervisors Tuesday on their efforts to comply with the “sanctuary state“ law regarding Immigration Customs Enforcement access to jail inmates.
The state Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act, which took effect last year, calls for a governing board of a county where law enforcement has allowed for ICE access to immigrants to hold at least one community forum.
During Tuesday’s forum, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said that in 2017, 1,143 individuals were released to ICE, accounting for 1.4 percent of the total releases.
County Undersheriff Mike Barnett told supervisors that Sheriff Bill Gore “firmly believes our policy and practice is the right approach. We’ve strictly complied with all applicable laws.”
The Sheriff’s Department cannot use resources to arrest people for immigration-related purposes, and inmates cannot be held past their release date.
If law enforcement provides ICE with notice that an inmate is being released, the inmate is also notified, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Consent forms are provided in numerous languages, including Spanish and Vietnamese.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, 195 people consented to an ICE interview without an attorney, while 597 people had release dates provided to ICE.
Some chided the board for its support of the Trump administration’s lawsuit against SB 54, the California law that prohibits local and state law enforcement authorities from investigating or arresting people for federal immigration enforcement purposes.
Others said the county should have held the TRUTH Act forum during a better time, when more people could have attended.
Katy Elridge of the Immigrant Justice League said the county needs to take a stand on the since-ended federal policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. “If we don’t see change, you’re going to see a lot more of us,” she added.
Felicia Gomez of the California Immigrant Policy Center said a growing number of inmates are accepting ICE interviews without a lawyer present, and the lack of language translators may be a factor.
San Diego resident Will Johnson said Tuesday’s hearing violated the TRUTH Act, because it wasn’t an actual forum with officials answering questions, and the county should hold another one.
“Stop giving aid and comfort to the racists in our community, and start doing the right thing,” Johnson said.
— City News Service
