California sheriffs promise to report violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to ICE.

In light of the restrictions placed by California law on local law enforcement agencies collaborating with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), some sheriffs in Northern and Southern California have recently spoken out against it. The issue of illegal immigrants and the role of local law enforcement agencies has once again sparked intense debate.

Some sheriffs have expressed their commitment to collaborating with ICE within the scope allowed by state law, particularly in handling illegal immigrants within their counties who have committed violent crimes.

Gary Redman, the sheriff of Amador County in Northern California, stated in an interview with Dajiyuan, “I do not want something like what happened to Laken Riley to occur again.” Riley was a young woman in Georgia who was murdered by an illegal immigrant.

Sheriff Redman emphasized, “I do not want to release individuals under my watch who might go on to commit heinous crimes or even murder once they are out, especially when I had the opportunity to prevent it.”

According to current California law, communication between local officials and ICE is restricted, with only a few exceptions allowed.

The California Values Act, also known as Senate Bill 54, which was passed in 2017, prohibits local law enforcement agencies from using funds or manpower to conduct investigations, interrogations, detentions, searches, or arrests for immigration enforcement purposes.

This law only allows local authorities to notify ICE in cases where the arrestee is determined to have committed serious or violent felonies. These felonies include theft, assault, sexual abuse, child endangerment, murder, torture, and serious bodily harm.

Sheriff Redman added, “As a sheriff, my job is very clear: to ensure public safety.” He believes that immigration enforcement should be the responsibility of the federal government, stating that “this is not my job; my job is solely to ensure public safety in Amador County.”

Sheriff Redman expressed his desire for more flexibility in notifying ICE when releasing illegal immigrant criminals upon their release. He also pointed out that the U.S. Border Patrol has already apprehended terrorists who entered illegally at the southern border.

According to a report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in August of last year, “out of over 7.3 million illegal immigrants, 375 illegal immigrants arrested by the Border Patrol were on the U.S. government’s terrorist watch list during the previous administration.”

Sheriff Redman stated that if he must release illegal immigrant violent felons whom he believes pose a risk to public safety in the community, he will use all available tools to prevent it. He mentioned a case from last year where a group from the San Joaquin-Stockton area stole copper wiring, causing “significant public safety impacts.” Prior to the suspects’ arrest, his county experienced two network failures and 911 service disruption.

He said that this case is one of the particular situations he would consider, stating, “even if their crimes do not fall under the exceptions of Senate Bill 54, I might still contact ICE” when the offenders are released; however, “I have no doubt that if I do so, I am likely to receive feedback from the State Attorney General’s office and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) office.”

Nevertheless, Sheriff Redman also mentioned that in 99% of cases, law enforcement agencies comply with Senate Bill 54.

His county has only about 41,000 residents and a jail that can accommodate around 75 inmates. In comparison, the main jail in Sacramento County can hold over 2,000 inmates.

Two sheriffs from Southern California also echoed similar stances.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes stated that California laws hinder the ability of state officers to communicate and collaborate with federal law enforcement partners in the face of threats posed by criminals violating immigration laws.

Sheriff Barnes wrote in a Facebook post, “I choose to collaborate with ICE to the fullest extent permitted by law to prevent violent offenders from returning to the communities they have harmed.”

Similarly, San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez affirmed that her office will continue to report individuals with criminal records to ICE in accordance with existing state laws.

In a statement, Sheriff Martinez said, “I have been committed to balancing the requirements of state law with the policies and procedures of the sheriff’s office, which also incorporate input from the community and immigrant advocates.”

In December of last year, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors passed a policy expanding Senate Bill 54, completely eliminating exceptions that allowed local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE. Sheriff Martinez and Supervisor Jim Desmond criticized this decision.

Meanwhile, the debate regarding immigration enforcement and local cooperation continues within the state legislature.

Last month, the California legislature introduced Senate Bill 554, designed to prevent local governments from adopting illegal immigrant sanctuary measures stronger than current state laws, and it also requires local law enforcement agencies to contact ICE for certain convicted violent offenders.