California sheriff: Why won’t the state allow us to enforce immigration law?

Newly-enacted legislation in California has reversed course on nearly two decades of improved law enforcement collaboration, restricting communication between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. As the sheriff in Orange County, this deeply concerns me.

Senate Bill 54, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in October 2017, prevents sheriffs from directly sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with respect to when they will release wanted, undocumented criminals from our jails. That includes known gang members, repeat drunk drivers, persons who assault peace officers, serial thieves, animal abusers, and other serious offenders. Additionally provisions of the law prevent the use of local staff to participate in initiatives like the Department of Homeland Security’s 287(g) program.