Under the Trust Act, Law Enforcement Cannot Turn in Undocumented Person to Immigration Officials Without Serious Crime Involved

Immigration” by Elvert Barnes licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: VOA

By law, California’s law enforcement officials cannot turn over an undocumented person to U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Trust Act, exclusively in California, prevents any law enforcement officials from turning over an undocumented person to ICE, unless the person detained has committed a serious crime.

In Los Angeles, communities of undocumented immigrants have stopped reporting cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, have stopped showing up for doctor’s appointments and school, and have overall stopped contacting the LAPD for help.

Undocumented persons, LAPD official say, are likely afraid of encountering state or government bodies, fearing that they might be detained or deported. But LAPD officials remind the public that under the law, they are not to turn someone into ICE, unless a serious crime has been committed.

ICE officials argue that law enforcement should be cooperating with ICE to detain and deport undocumented immigrants who are criminals.

“Rather than transferring convicted criminal aliens to ICE custody as requested, agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, are routinely releasing these offenders back onto the street to potentially re-offend, and their victims are often other members of the immigrant community,” ICE told VOA in a statement.

Read full story at: VOA

Justice & Poverty, News
Justice & Poverty, News