Jailed illegal immigrants: Santa Clara County sticks with lenient policy

mercurynews.com ^ | 11/05/2013 | Tracey Kaplan

[moonshinner_09]

SAN JOSE -- After listening Tuesday to more than 60 impassioned activists, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to stick to the status quo on immigration, rejecting a proposal to turn over jailed illegal immigrants with a history of serious or violent crime to federal agents for possible deportation.

The proposal by Supervisor Joe Simitian to change the current policy and hold "the worst of the worst" inmates for 24 hours past their release date failed on a 3-2 vote. Only Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who opposed the no-holds policy two years ago on the grounds that public safety is jeopardized by releasing violent felons who could be deported, sided with Simitian.

As a result, Santa Clara County remains one of only a handful of jurisdictions in the country, including Chicago's Cook County, that refuse to hold any inmates unless U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pays for the cost of detaining them -- which ICE refuses to do.

Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who represents heavily Latino District 2, cast the swing vote in favor of one of the nation's most lenient immigration policies. Elected recently on a public safety platform, Chavez said she was "very conflicted" about the issue but believes that holding even an estimated 15 percent of all jailed illegal immigrants for ICE would have a chilling effect on the immigrant community's reporting of crime."The one I'm particularly nervous about is domestic violence," she said, referring to concerns voiced at the hearing by members of the Domestic Violence Advocacy Consortium.

She also noted that 4 out of 10 county residents are foreign-born and 50 percent of households speak a language other than English. Chavez said she wants to work on fixing bigger problems with the criminal justice system,

[moonshinner_09]

The law shields illegal immigrants who are arrested for minor crimes from being held for several extra days past their release dates for ICE agents. But under the so-called Trust Act, counties also can choose to detain those charged with or convicted of a long list of offenses, ranging from homicide to gang-related crimes to child abuse...In other words Illegals can do about anything they want with the police there to fully protect them just in case there is case of Domestic Violence.

[TurboZamboni]

"...holding even an estimated 15 percent of all jailed illegal immigrants for ICE would have a chilling effect on the immigrant community's reporting of crime."

so sick of this BS claim made by ever Dem mayor,chief LEO or crimalien 'activist'. Name the last major case crime solved thanks to the efforts of illegal aliens. If they're all the 'salt of the earth', how do they know so much about criminals and crimes?

[null and void]

SV Ping, please?