Protest builds in DTLA over Sheriff’s stance on sanctuary cities
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Protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday rally against LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell’s opposition to state Senate Bill 54. (Photo by Elizabeth Chou)
By From staff reports
POSTED: 03/22/17, 6:52 PM PDT | UPDATED: 54 SECS AGO
A growing crowd was gathering Wednesday evening in front of the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night to protest the Los Angeles County sheriff’s opposition to a bill to declare California a “sanctuary state.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell voiced his opposition recently to state Senate Bill 54, which would declare all of California a sanctuary state. His comments, sent in a letter to state Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, were in line with those of sheriffs from other counties in Southern California. De Leon, D-Los Angeles, introduced the bill in December. It would limit law enforcement’s involvement in any federal immigration enforcement in the state.
On Wednesday, more than 100 people were gathering in front of the Hall of Justice downtown, holding signs that read, “One struggle, united” and “We demand immigrant rights.”
“The sheriff, the elected official of Los Angeles, one of the most immigrant counties in the United States, is lobbying against this type of legislation to make California a sanctuary state,” said David Abud, with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “We’re here to tell him to stop lobbying. Cease and desist,” he said, shouting to be heard over booming music.
“His argument is that if we don’t pass this, ICE is going to carpet-bomb our community with deportation. That is a ridiculous argument,” Abud said.
Activists at the protest said representatives from Advancing Justice-LA and Clue Justice were meeting with McDonnell Wednesday evening.
The L.A. Sheriff’s Department runs all of the county’s jails. McDonnell said the department’s current practice is to release inmates being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, directly into the custody of their agents. If that transfer process is severed, McDonnell said the result would be ICE agents fanning out into neighborhoods across the region in search of undocumented immigrants with orders for deportation.
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