Workplace and neighborhood immigration raids will be carried out in the state of California following its decision to become a sanctuary state, according to Thomas Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Homan says the agency will have no option other than to conduct such operations, resulting in undocumented immigrants who are not targeted also being arrested, rather than focusing on prisons and jails.
Homan added that individuals taken into custody in California will have to be held out of state and away from friends and relatives. The comments come after the bill known as SB54 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown. It forbids law enforcement officers from making inquiries on the legal status of members of the public and from complying with immigration detainers issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Governor Brown said at the time that the law did not prevent the Department of Homeland Security or ICE from doing their work, with officials from the DHS quickly announcing that they would do just that. Homan says that SB54 helps to protect undocumented immigrants ripe for deportation from immigration enforcement and makes the state a magnet for more illegal immigration, putting in jeopardy the security and safety of those it purports to protect.
Homan adds that ICE operations in the state will be negatively impacted with the elimination of almost all communication and cooperation with law enforcement, but says it remains committed to its mission.