Thread: Sheriff, ACLU Reach Agreement on Detention of Illegal Aliens

Sheriff's Office and ACLU Reach Agreement on Detention of Ilegal Immigrants

Prevented from using detainers to keep immigrants in jail longer than required; jail will also post notices advising people of their rights, including to not reveal where they are from

By Karina Ioffee
11:08am

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California reached an agreement Wednesday that will limit the Sheriff’s Office collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a move advocates are lauding as an important step to protecting immigrants from deportation if stopped for driving without a license or other minor traffic offenses.

The settlement comes three years after the ACLU of Northern California filed a suit on behalf of three Sonoma County residents and Committee for Immigrant Rights of Sonoma County, a local community organization against the Sherriff’s Office.

The suit argued that sheriffs deputies assisted ICE agents in stopping and searching people who appeared Latino, interrogated them about their immigration status, and detained them in the county jail even after they posted bail. The latter was done using detainers ICE issued for suspected civil immigration violations, even if there were not criminal charges filed.

According to a January story in Petaluma Patch, more than 50 percent of people arrested by federal immigration officials in Sonoma County had never been charged with any crime. (In other words, their only crime was being in the U.S. illegally.)

Under the new agreement, the Sheriff’s Office will not volunteer information to federal immigration officials about people at the county jail, if they are there solely due to traffic infractions or driving without a license.

They will also post a notice in jail – in English and Spanish –informing detained immigrants of their rights under federal law. The ACLU had argued that the detainers violated immigrants’ basic civil rights.

“The immigrant community in Sonoma County suffered under the old policies and practices,â€

Sheriff Steve Freitas has also agreed to consier accepting identification cards issued by foreign consulates as valid proof of identification. A call to Freitas's office was not immediately returned Thursday.

Once again, mexican illegal aliens get special treatment not afforded others, how is that not violating discrimination laws???

The ACLU does not want any illegal invader deported, as this agreement clearly demonstrates.

Its hard being an american in america your just expected to follow the rules and laws, it would be a lot nicer if I wasn't supposed to be here so I could do what ever I want!

including to not reveal where they are from
Shouldn't this also include all of us? I mean it is about civil liberties and rights?
whats good for one person should be good for all.

moptop I would like to add that it is difficult for a white american

I was going to say that but didn't want to come off racist. We'll. Be the minority soon enough in longbeach ca I already am. Figure I'll give it a few yrs then start up my group like la raza. Just have to wait till the rest of the country catches up to us west coasters. I already have my new hispanic name picked out. Sorry have to get the sarcasm out.