Two years after ending a contract in 2018 to house U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office was criticized Tuesday for posting on the names of jail prisoners scheduled for imminent release online.
That public notice, critics said, has allowed ICE officials to apprehend some people outside the Richmond jail upon their release, if they are undocumented or have other immigration issues.
Some critics Tuesday told the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors they see even this level of communication between the Sheriff and ICE as too much, and called for eliminating the practice of putting those names where ICE officials can see them. Megan Watson of Antioch asked the supervisors why there is any level of “collaboration” between Contra Costa County and ICE.
Sheriff David Livingston told the supervisors the names of people leaving jail are posted largely to alert people connected with those inmates’ crimes — serious felony crimes — of their impending release. That practice, Livingston said, began after the ICE contracts ended, and he said he believed he was legally required to provide that information.
Livingston said his department is working on a more targeted system that doesn’t include ICE on such notifications. That system could take up to two years to start up. In the interim, he said, the Internet postings
could go away, replaced by emails sent to people who have a direct interest in someone’s release from prison.
Tuesday’s discussion by supervisors of ICE-related matters came as part of a periodic public “TRUTH Forum,” called for under the state’s 2016 Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act, applying to law enforcement agencies that have any of several types of contact with ICE.
Livingston said his department does respond to some ICE requests for referrals about jail prisoners serving time for serious felonies, including crimes from carjacking to murder. In 2019, Livingston’s department got 495 requests for such referrals; it granted 129 of them (33 of them regarding one inmate).
The Sheriff defended such referrals of undocumented felons.
“The notion that they should not be referred … defeats basic notions of public safety, and I won’t go along with that,” Livingston said.
Melanie Kim, an attorney with the Contra Costa Immigrant Rights Alliance, told the supervisors Tuesday that even the diminished relationship between the Sheriff and ICE is “alarming,” and called for an end to online
publishing of inmate release dates, and to any working relationship with ICE.
“Any collaboration with ICE is purely voluntary,” Kim said.
Tuesday’s forum included several commenters who implored the supervisors to “defund” the Sheriff’s Department and to close the county’s Juvenile Hall in Martinez. On Monday, protesters at Juvenile Hall blasted that facility as a “youth prison.” Those protesters, and several commenters Tuesday morning, encouraged the county to instead fund the Oren Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility near Byron in far eastern Contra Costa. Also known as Byron Boys Ranch, youths live, attend classes and get counseling at the facility.
What’s alarming to me is the number of undocumented immigrants illegally streaming across the border who commit crimes and then are portrayed as sweet little innocent poor migrants just looking for a better life. It sickens me that there taxpaying citizens who care more about those criminals than they do about the actually hard working American citizens who are unduly burdened by the cost associated with bringing these non citizens to trial and then inncarcerating them. Those criminals don’t have any respect for our laws and thus deserve no special treatment. ICE is not the enemy here. Once again it’s the bleeding heart liberals who think somehow because the Mexican government is corrupt that we, the American tax payers have some sort of duty to take care of and put up with these criminals. BS. Send them back to Mexico and build that wall. Enough is enough.
Agree with you!
Hey Mac. To bad laws don’t exist anymore. at least to the Demo idiots. vote them out ASAP if you want to keep somewhat of a civil country or end up with a boarder less broke country.
If you are undocumented then keep a low profile. That includes not engaging in behavior that results in you getting arrested. Fair enough?
No it’s not fair at all. They shouldn’t be here.
Defund the police. Abolish Ice. Let prisoners go. Minimize criminal penalties. Do not prosecute. We are now officially living in an upside down world. Hope everyone knows how to protect themselves.
I’m sorry but self protection will not be allowed or tolerated.
Watch- It will be the bleeding heart, liberal snowflakes who cry, complain, blame and temper tantrum the loudest if & when they become a victim of the crime infested world they are creating.
I think that it’s great that names of criminals are published so that ICE can arrest these criminals and proceed with the due process of trying them for other crimes and/or deporting them.
Illegal means illegal.
Protecting criminals from being held accountable for their crimes only encourages more crimes.
so it appears the some plague the many
Some critics Tuesday told the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors they see even this level of communication between the Sheriff and ICE as too much,
wow so after 9-11 the masses wanted more communication between entities
now that democrats want chaos and people distracted they are releasing thousands of criminals and harboring criminals to prey on the citizens
if trump was backing that sort of thing he would be bum rushed
but since its democrats it is all good for criminals to get a pass and allowed to prey yet again
where is a dem to show the support for this …..we are waiting
Illegal aliens should be deported, as soon as possible. Not sure why such a claim would be controversial. I don’t have the right to live and work illegally in Luxembourg while sucking up their tax dollars.
We are a Nation of laws. If you don’t like it leave! There’s a reason they’re called “illegal”. Help fix their country then they won’t come here.
Report their names, then deport them. They are here illegally and broke their first law when they came here! Finish the wall.
Most first generation immigrants in the U.S. send money to relatives “back home”. The Mexican economy depends upon that money.
Remember Katie! She had dreams, too. Kate Steinle RIP
Don’t we all have the right to know when any criminal is being released from jail?
How did we get to the point where democrats get to pick which laws they will live by. We now see how far that goes in Seattle and Portland plus a bunch others. You should now see how giving them a hand leads to them taking an arm. It leads up to the democrats disgusting hearing with AG Barr yesterday. They didn’t want to hear him they wanted a stage to level asinine charges. It was so obvious that millions of Americans and even foreigners saw through their absurdity.
So they can notify the Feds if a legal resident is about to be released, but not illegal aliens? And violent ones at that? Looking for someplace to live other than California is a thing.
New strategy- Since the Democrats and Liberal decision makers seem to be hell bent on unseating Trump and his Republican base, gaining more power, coddling the illegal immigrants and base all of their decisions on this goal, I think Trump should start proposing the opposite of what he really wants. He should agree that we need to release all prisoners and abolish ICE. The opposite will then happen. The Democrats will scream that it’s a terrible idea and we should instead keep all miscreants locked up, extend the penalties and sentences and double the budget for ICE.
During his press conference yesterday Trump suggested that an idea that appears to come from him is automatically rejected. Then he went on to discuss a few of his ideas that were implemented and won praise because they were funneled through others.
Presentation is everything but it must be plausible. When I see a video of a reporter visiting what he describes as a peaceful protest, and I see a burning building and explosions behind him, that’s not a plausible presentation.
Keep on doing what you’re doing regarding ICE, Livingston. And start issuing CCW’s to those qualified for them.
If given the choice to defund the Sheriff’s office or the Board of Supervisors, I’d defund the Supervisors and give the money to the Sheriff’s office.
I would bet Melanie Kim locks her front door when she heads for the attorneys office. Why would that be? Melanie doesn’t know that when I was a kid we actually never locked our back door in Oakland (Wentworth Ave.)
When we arrived home the only change was that the milkman had been there. Milk left in the laundry room.
Wow how things have changed.
Google the street and see where it is. Then look at Oakland’s crime map. You will be blown away.
Damn cops.
Look what they have done to the town.
Of course I’m being sarcastic in case you didn’t get my point.
Ya know, don’t recall voting to enable our county supervisors to represent citizens of another country.
Perhaps they should QUIT trying to out liberal other liberal politicians ! ! !
Perhaps being an informed voter is more important than how many bars your mobile device has or latest day glow crisis of the mentally shallow, overly endowed, bubble butted narcissists on TV.
Remember don’t screw up your kid’s future,
’cause their the ones deciding which nursing home . . . .
Anybody figure out just how bad a crime you have to commit to even be incarcerated in the jail these days???? And they don’t want to let ICE know about them when you have them in custody?? .Its not like ICE is doing sweeps and picking people off the street……
if an American was in another country illegally they’d be jailed and deported without a second thought. why do put up with politicians who treat American citizenship so poorly.