Rep. Jimmy Panetta meets with local law enforcement, community leaders about federal immigration enforcement impact
APTOS — Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell said that Santa Cruz County law enforcement would not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in any possible event of its presence in the county at a roundtable at Cabrillo College’s Sesnon House Tuesday.
If residents hear a knock on their door and they are unsure who may be on the other side, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark urges them to call 911, and deputies will arrive to investigate. Though they have a duty to intervene if they believe a crime is occurring, law enforcement agencies will not cooperate for an immigration issue.
The California Values Act prohibits local and state law enforcement from using their resources to assist federal immigration enforcement efforts, and Clark said that though the sheriff’s office relies on federal funding grants that mandate it to cooperate with immigration enforcement, they are forbidden by state law to do so and will not comply.
Rosell and Clark’s promises were ech…