Santa Cruz, California police chiefs and city officials held a press conference yesterday where they accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of lying to them.
Chief Kevin Vogel and Deputy Chief Dan Flippo said their department cooperated with ICE in the apprehension of gang members under the assurance that an ICE raid would not target innocent immigrants, but ICE picked up 11 people not including the gang members.
Chief Kevin Vogel said that federal officials have also admitted to detained [sic] some Santa Cruz residents who did not have a criminal history or any ties to gangs. They were singled out based on their immigration status, according to NBC-affiliate KSBW. [...]
Meanwhile, Flippo elaborated at the news conference that six people were taken to a Homeland Security facility. Five of them were released on GPS monitoring, while one was released with a USCIS interview notice, known as a G-56 form. Four others were detained and issued the G-56 form at their residences.
"I am outraged," Flippo said. "I am disgusted."
ICE spokesman James Schwab denied that local police were misled, but confirmed that they arrested 11 additional immigrants aside from the alleged gang members.
If you were to ask me whether I believe ICE or the local police department, there's no contest. The local police department knows this will make their jobs even more difficult while ICE under Trump has been told to take the gloves off.
The Trump regime's actions will make everyone less safe, not safer. Cooperation and trust, even between local police departments and federal law enforcement, will break down. Immigrants who may otherwise have information about real crimes will decline to share it out of fear that they will also be arrested.