SAN DIEGO — Today, the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC) submitted a letter to San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez, calling upon her to comply with the California Values Act (SB 54) by following the newly passed Board Policy L-02, which prohibits the use of County resources for civil immigration enforcement, and clarifies that the Sheriff shall not transfer individuals to immigration authorities such as Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), or notify them of release dates without a judicial warrant.
“We were disappointed by Sheriff Martinez’s declaration that she would not be following Board Policy L-02. It disrespects the will of the community, and goes against not just the values of our county but state law itself,” said Ian Seruelo, Chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC) and chapter leader of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) San Diego. “We hope that the Sheriff’s statement was a mere misunderstanding of the full scope of the California Values Act, and not a flagrant disregard for state law, our democratic processes and our constitutional rights. Public trust depends on Sheriff Martinez’s compliance with the law and her respect of Board Policy L-02.”
The California Values Act (SB 54) makes clear that local law enforcement agencies “shall not use agency or department moneys or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes” (California Government Code § 7284.6(a)(1)). It allows for limited exceptions so long as they do not violate any state or local law, or local policy. California Government Code § 7282.5 (a) states: “A law enforcement official shall have discretion to cooperate with immigration authorities only if doing so would not violate any federal, state, or local law, or local policy.” With Board Policy L-02 now in place, any transfer or notification that is made without a judicial warrant is a direct violation of state law, SB 54.
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About the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium:
The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium is a project of Alliance San Diego. Since 2007, community, faith, labor, and legal organizations have come together as the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC). Through SDIRC, these organizations are pursuing four common goals: support comprehensive immigration reform; stop the spread of local policies and practices that target and violate the civil and human rights of immigrants; educate immigrants, and educate the public about the important contributions of immigrants. immigrantsandiego.org
