On Thursday, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Thomas D. Homan hosted a press briefing at the White House. Throughout the briefing Mr. Homan made statements critical of sanctuary cities and regarding the mass arrests of undocumented immigrants with or without criminal convictions.
DetailsOn Tuesday afternoon, the Trump administration issued a new policy for local governments stating that they are required to “give federal officials advance notice when illegal immigrants are about to be released from custody and allow immigration agents access to local jails” or risk losing federal grants. The new policy specifically applies to cities that receive funds from the “Byrne Justice Assistance grant program.
DetailsOn Monday, immigration advocates announced the filing of a Public Records Act (PRA) request to demand transparency from Gardena Police Chief Edward Medrano, who is also the head of the CA Police Chief’s Association, around “entanglement” and collusion with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
DetailsOn Wednesday, the California Values Act (SB-54, de León), widely considered as the ‘sanctuary state’ bill, passed the Assembly Judiciary Comittee with support from Democratic lawmakers. The bill would limit California involvement in enforcement of federal immigration law.
DetailsToday, the LA City Council voted overwhelmingly (11-1) in support of the LA Justice Fund, a public-private partnership to provide deportation defense for immigrants facing the threat of removal. The City Council approved $2 million for the first two years of the program, to complement $3 million from the County and $5 million from private foundations.
DetailsOn Friday, June 16, without opposition from the City Attorney and on the ground of a legal invalidity, a judge granted the request of Romulo Avelica to vacate his 1998 misdemeanor conviction for receipt of stolen property. Mr. Avelica is an undocumented father of four U.S. citizen children and long-time Los Angeles resident whose arrest by immigration agents while dropping his daughters at school on February 28, 2017 sparked widespread outrage. The conviction, which stemmed from an incident involving Mr. Avelica’s display of a vehicle registration sticker that he had not purchased, had previously led federal immigration authorities to hold him ineligible for certain forms of relief from deportation. As part of the vacatur, Mr. Avelica re-pled to a lesser vehicle code violation in relation to the incident. A judge had previously vacated Mr. Avelica’s only other misdemeanor conviction on grounds of legal invalidity, for which Mr. Avelica also re-pled to a lesser vehicle code violation.
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