Thread: CA: 50 Percent of Arrested, Deported Immigrants in Sonoma Co

50 Percent of Arrested, Deported Immigrants in Sonoma County Never Convicted of Crime

Immigrant advocates say Sonoma County Sheriff's Office assists in deportation by keeping undocumented immigrants longer than necessary
January 11, 2011
By Karina Ioffee
(3 comments )

One-half of all people arrested by federal immigration authorities in Sonoma County in the past two years were never convicted of any crime, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statistics obtained by Patch.

Out of more than 500 people arrested or booked into ICE custody from October 2008 through September 2010, 286 were labeled non-criminal, despite being apprehended under ICE's Secure Communities program, a new effort aimed at rooting out violent criminal aliens.

Additionally, 50 percent of the people deported in the same time period from Sonoma County had no criminal charges against them, the documents show.

Immigrant advocates point to the numbers as evidence that Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office deputies are cooperating with federal immigration authorities to stop, question, detain and eventually deport undocumented immigrants whose only crime is being in the U.S. illegally.

California law bars local police agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials in apprehending illegals, unless a person has committed a crime.

Many undocumented people--typically Latinos--wind up in detention after being stopped during routine traffic stops, such as when someone is pulled over for a broken taillight or for failing to stop at a red light, explains Richard Coshnear, a Santa Rosa immigration attorney who has represented many Latino immigrants.

During a stop, if a deputy who suspects that a driver may be illegal enters the person's name into the Secure Communities database, which cross references information from the Department of Justice with immigration records. If there is no match, the person is assumed to be illegal and apprehended.

This is what happened to 30-year-old Gloria Lopez Gutierrez who was deported in 2009 after being arrested for driving without a license. Lopez Gutierrez’s church friends gathered enough money to post her bail, but the woman was still kept behind bars because an ICE hold had been placed on her, according to Coshnear.

“People are kept in jail for an extra day or two until ICE comes around and apprehends them," he said. "The Sheriff’s Department assists ICE in ways in which it is not mandated to do so."

The Sheriff’s Office denies the allegation.

“I challenge anyone who says this to show us proof,â€

Originally Posted by jean

50 Percent of Arrested, Deported Immigrants in Sonoma County Never Convicted of Crime

Immigrant advocates say Sonoma County Sheriff's Office assists in deportation by keeping undocumented immigrants longer than necessary
January 11, 2011
By Karina Ioffee

The Committee for Immigrant Rights of Sonoma County estimates that some 60 families in Sonoma County are affected each month. They don't get a chance to say goodbye to family and friends or collect of any of their belongings before being dropped off at the border, the group claims.

I was feeling good about the cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement, until I came to this para. Dropping illegals at the border is a waste of time and money. There are hotels there which cater to them. Havng to spend the night there, before sneaking in again is an inconvenience, but the only thing that will work long term and for large numbers of deportees is transporting them deep into Mexico. Eisenhower did that as part of his successful deportation strategy.

California law bars local police agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials in apprehending illegals, unless a person has committed a crime.

Breaking US immigration law is a crime. Being in the US including California in violation of US immigration law is a crime. What is it about this criminal immigration activity that people don't understand?

Originally Posted by Judy

California law bars local police agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials in apprehending illegals, unless a person has committed a crime.

Breaking US immigration law is a crime. Being in the US including California in violation of US immigration law is a crime. What is it about this criminal immigration activity that people don't understand?

Whomever wrote that garbage report is NOT a journalist.

Calif. Penal Code Sec. 834b
Click the above link to look the code section up for yourself

834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.

(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following:

(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status.

(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States.

(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity.

(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly prohibited.

Why is it the illegal imergrants think they haven't broken any laws. Just being in the country is breaking the law! And news flash driving with out a licence is also breaking the law! I'm offended by the idea that were all just supposed to swallow this amnisty for people who have no reguard for our culture and rules and at the same time were supposed to be understanding of their culture. I just find it funny that you hear all this talk about hoe ice breaks up family's but nobody mentions the fact that the family's are being broken up just by people coming here in the first place! Nobody acknoledges the family left behind in ol'mex I say if were going to feel sorry for the people left here because a loved one was deported than we should also show compassion for those left in mexico and find a way to keep people there in the first place. I wouldn't want the rest of their familys hurt by someone leaving them to come over here just for money

QUOTE........Another issue being haggled over in the ACLU lawsuit against the county is immigration holds automatically placed on undocumented immigrants who are detained by law enforcement officials and transported to jail. The ACLU maintains immigration holds on people who have not been charged with a crime are unconstitutional.

Most law enforcement agencies won't bother clogging the courts with illegals by charging them with a crime because they can just have them sent back to their country. That is a good idea UNLESS they commit a felony or a misdemeanor crime against a person such as domestic violence.

Originally Posted by TakingBackSoCal

Whomever wrote that garbage report is NOT a journalist.

Actually she is a journalist - and a typical one at that. With media owners constantly printing Open Borders, Come And Get It editorials, Reconquista organizations claiming legitimacy for illegals, and illegals being the current darlings of many working journalists, her being ignorant of the criminal status of illegals is all too common.

BTW thanks for the citation.
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