Immigrants detained by federal agents in Southern California are housed at Glendale City Jail, and the Los Angeles suburbs have become one of the only known jurisdictions in the “sanctuary” state that bars local law enforcement agencies from assisting in enforcing federal immigrants.
It is unclear how many detainees are in detention at the 96-bed facility, but it was confirmed last week that at least two individuals were placed there by immigration officers. The facility is one of the busiest prisons in the state, staffed by the Glendale Police Department.
Glendale City Council members defended detention this week, saying the city has an 18-year-old contract with immigrants and customs enforcement or ICE to temporarily hold non-criminal detainees. They said the agreement was in compliance with State Senate Bill 54. He said it was the country’s first groundbreaking law to create a sanctuary state.
“Glendale has an ICE contract. Yes, in some cases, ice detainees are given bed space to our facility,” said Annette Ghazarian, a spokesman for Glendale.
Shortly before President Trump took office, Glendale Police Chief Manuel Sid told council that the prisons had not been used frequently for immigrant detainees since the Obama administration.
He said large-scale sweeps would be logistically challenging given the federal detention center’s capabilities, and that he didn’t expect local agencies to fill the gaps given state law.
But supporters fear that exactly what is going on. They believe that Glendale’s arrangements take advantage of a loophole in the state’s sanctuary law that omits a permanent contract. And it raises questions about state law amid a surge in enforcement efforts by the Trump administration.
“It’s deep, deep and troublesome,” said Andres Kwon, senior policy advisor to the American Civil Liberties Union in Southern California. “This contract is very contrary to the principles and values that create a bright line between local resources and federal immigration enforcement.”
At the very least, Kwon said the deal should close soon.
“This is where the Attorney General has jurisdiction and responsibility to consider and oversee how Glendale is acting in accordance with this agreement,” he said. The Attorney General is also obligated to review and report the terms of confinement, but has not yet.
Other municipalities ended their contracts after the GOV at the time. Jerry Brown signed SB 54. This prohibits local and state municipalities from using funds for federal immigration enforcement purposes, including the use of prison facilities. But Robert Castro, then-Chief of Police in Glendale, opposed the law, but not the case. At the time, the mayor warned against curbing contracts to maintain good relations with federal authorities.
Glendale resident Jenny Kinones Thinner said he was urging council members to abandon the contract as they learned about it during the first Trump administration.
“They can end if they want, they just don’t want to,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll justify doing that. It’s harmful if there’s a lack of legitimate procedures under the current administration.”
When the contract was signed in 2007, the federal government promised to pay Glendale $85 a day to each detainee. Almost ten years later, in 2016, the city reported that it had just over $6,000 for services in a year. According to city documents, the terms and conditions are indefinitely and “may be terminated by either party with 60 days of written notice.”
At a Glendale City Council meeting Tuesday night, immigration attorney Sarah Houston questioned why Glendale was complying with a decades-old agreement violating SB 54, as his client was detained in prison and had no food for nine hours between multiple facilities.
“We have a SB 54 that is very explicitly said. Local law enforcement agencies cannot provide resources, including mobile phones, to immigration enforcement. California is a sanctuary,” Houston said at the meeting. “Would you like Glendale to be one of the only cities that will allow local police departments to work with the Department of Homeland Security?
Glendale Councillor Ellen Assatrian tried to move the city away from immigration operations.
“We’re not involved. We’re not even booking them. They use the cell as a holding spot for the city of Glendale,” Assatrian said. She fought that detainees were not provided with food or water.
The use of the Glendale City Jail has emerged to detain immigrants, pushing them to increase the number of immigrant arrests by targeting them when they leave court.
Immigration officers acknowledge that the effort highlights its own resources as they are considering improving capabilities. ICE has about 7,000 beds in California, with six privately owned facilities, and is looking to expand the state’s footprint as its enforcement begins to surpass detention space.
“The strengthened enforcement and routine routine work of US immigration and customs enforcement agencies have resulted in a significant number of arrests of criminal foreigners who have increased their ability to detain,” said ICE spokesman Richard Beam. “While we cannot review individual pre-decision conversations, we can ensure that ICE is investigating all options to meet current and future detention requirements.”
In Los Angeles, Santa Ana and across the country, government lawyers often arrest federal agents in mediocre clothing as they leave immigrant hearings after they have asked if their deportation proceedings would be rejected. Families who come to support their loved ones are often distraught.
Usually, those arrested by the ice in public are transferred to detention facilities, but detainees’ rushes were likely to strain the system and forced to look for other options, said Melissa Shepherd, legal director at the Immigration Defence Corps Legal Center.
“I can imagine it would be an influx of detention centers that probably don’t have the resources to keep all these people up,” Shepherd said. “In Southern California, detention centers were very unprepared for the number of people in detention.”
Times reporters witnessed more than half a dozen arrests Monday in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Ana’s courtrooms. In Los Angeles, China’s Jianhui Wu was taken into custody after the government dismissed his case and moved to seek a quick removal procedure.
The judge gave the man another hearing in August to give him time to find a lawyer, saying “You need to talk to a capable person” about his case.
However, when he leaves the court, a mediocre ice agent chases after him, and another stops him in the hallway. One agent picked up the man’s backpack, handcuffed him, and quickly dropped him down to the service elevator.
By Tuesday, he had been in custody at Glendale City Jail.
Source link
