Los Angeles County permanently refused to transfer prisoners to immigration authorities

The opt-out policy was first put in place on an interim basis in April amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fox News.

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office will permanently stop releasing detainees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a policy initially put in place as a temporary measure in April amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement Tuesday, Aug. 18, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva referred to the pandemic and the county's illegal immigrant community, saying fears of possible deportation could interfere with a criminal investigation.

“There is no greater threat to public safety than a million undocumented immigrants who are afraid to report a crime for fear of deportation and separation of their families,” he said. “As Los Angeles County Sheriff, I am responsible for the public safety of everyone, regardless of immigration status.” “I will not allow an entire segment of the population to be afraid to report crimes to law enforcement and be forced back into the shadows.”

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Villanueva originally ordered a moratorium on the transfer of prisoners to ICE on April 24 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles County prison system is the largest in the United States and is battling high rates of COVID-19 infection among inmates.

After learning of a pending lawsuit over conditions at ICE's facility in Adelanto, northeast of Los Angeles, and conditions at other detention centers, Villanueva said he decided to extend the moratorium "forever."

“In doing so, we have drawn a clear line between federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement in the most populous county in the country,” he said.

The permanent ban was preceded by the denial of a State Alien Criminal Assistance Program grant, which "essentially sold our database of undocumented prisoners for federal funds," Villanueva said.

The “morally deficient” program brought in $122 million for the county from 2005 to 2018 “at the expense of our immigrant community,” he added.

The program provides payments to states and local jurisdictions to pay the salaries of correctional staff when housing illegal prisoners who have been convicted of at least one felony or have had two misdemeanors convictions.

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In the absence of transfers of prisoners, Villanueva urged ICE to use a “constitutionally based system of judicial sanctions” to detain individuals at the federal level. He added that his office will work with the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office to apprehend suspected criminals who are fleeing the United States.

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