Northern California prepares for rumored massive ICE raid
Following rumors of a major immigration crackdown in Northern California, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra said that new sanctuary state policies will be upheld in the event of a raid.
The attorney general’s remarks at a press conference on Thursday, January 18 came after a report that said officials from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are reportedly planning an operation to detain more than 1,500 undocumented immigrants in the Bay Area and surrounding cities.
In a bombshell published in the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday, January 16, an anonymous source familiar with the operation said that the campaign — which would be the most substantial immigration raid under President Donald Trump — is likely to occur in the next few weeks.
The source indicated that the operation is meant to send “a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state,” according to the Chronicle’s report.
Becerra did not outrightly attest to the validity of the claims laid out in the Chronicle, but he assured that there are laws in place to limit California law enforcement and private employers from cooperating with federal immigration agents should a raid of this grandeur occur.
“Regardless [of] what the rumors are, the law is the law…the Constitution is the Constitution, and the people have rights,” Becerra said.
AB 450, signed by Governor Jerry Brown last year, prohibits employers from volunteering access to immigration enforcement agents to enter nonpublic areas of a business or review employee records without a warrant or court order.
“If you’re a business owner you have now certain rights and certain responsibilities when it comes to the people who work for you and giving access to federal immigration enforcement authorities to enter your premises and review both information documents and the individuals who work for you,” Becerra said on Thursday. “So know your rights and know your responsibilities.”
Employers could be fined $2,000 to $5,000 for the first violation and $5,000 to $10,000 for later offenses if they do not abide by the bill.
The report in the Chronicle has since sparked fear within in the immigrant communities in the Bay Area, prompting advocates, activists and officials to prepare for the alleged crackdown.
Last month, ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan warned that if local officials in California “don’t want to protect their communities, then ICE will.”
Many California leaders were outraged by the alleged sweep. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the rumor “deeply shameful” while Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) described the raid as a threat by Trump to “weaponize federal agencies against California.”
“Rather than focusing efforts on violent criminals, raids carried out in neighborhoods and workplaces could result in deportation of individuals who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Calif. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris wrote in a letter to Homan.
Sanctuary state protections
As of Jan. 1, 2018, California has officially become a sanctuary state through the passage of SB 54, which restricts local and state law enforcement from turning over information that would aid federal immigration authorities in detaining those believed to be undocumented immigrants.
It doesn’t prevent ICE or any other federal immigration agency from performing their routine operations, but rather it’s a directive toward state and local law enforcement.
Since Trump came into office, ICE has doubled down on immigration enforcement, arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants in their homes and places of work.
The rumors arose a week after ICE agents descended upon dozens of 7-Eleven convenience stores across the nation, arresting undocumented employees and demanding employees’ citizenship documents from managers.
Ninety-eight stores across 17 states resulted in 21 arrests, signaling the immigration agency’s escalated attempts to double down on businesses that hire undocumented immigrants.
Sweeps at 7-Eleven stores
In Southern California, four audit notices were served to 7-Eleven locations in the City of Los Angeles and one in Culver City, according to ICE. Specific locations were not mentioned, but witnesses said they saw ICE agents at a location in Koreatown.
According to witnesses, seven ICE agents arrived in three unmarked cars and closed the store for about 20 minutes. They explained the audit to the single employee there, who had a valid green card.
“Today’s actions send a strong message to U.S. businesses that hire and employ an illegal workforce,” Homan said in a statement. “ICE will enforce the law, and if you are found breaking the law, you will be held accountable.”
Via a statement, 7-Eleven Inc. did not take accountability for the hiring of reportedly undocumented workers, noting that individual franchises are owned independently.
“7-Eleven takes compliance with immigration laws seriously and has terminated the franchise agreements of franchises convicted of violating these laws,” the company said, adding that the individual franchise owners “are solely responsible for their employees, including deciding who to hire and verifying their eligibility to work in the United States.”
The massive sweep sent a shock across the nation, many questioning the legality of the raids. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIR) emphasized that regardless of immigration status, workers have rights and those targeted should seek legal counsel.
“Workers should know they have the right to remain silent, avoid incriminating yourself, and seek legal immigration help right away,” CHIR said in a statement, encouraging immigrant families to always be prepared for possible encounters with ICE or any other federal immigration agency. (Klarize Medenilla/AJ Press)
