San Mateo County ups immigrant protection

“This ordinance is a powerful and needed step forward in protecting every person in our county and setting a new standard for transparency and trust,” Supervisor Noelia Corzo said. 

A key component of the updated ordinance will require the sheriff and chief probation officer to submit quarterly public reports on any and all communication with federal immigration agencies. Sheriff Ken Binder and Chief Probation Officer John Keene have both expressed their readiness to comply. This information will also be posted on the Sheriff’s Office website regularly. 

San Mateo County has seen approximately 45 targeted immigration-related detentions from September to October. There have been no reports of mass raids conducted in the county, like those that have occurred with greater frequency in Los Angeles County in recent weeks. 

Since June 6, more than 7,100 people have been arrested in L.A. County “based on their race and on the false and harmful belief that they do not belong in this country,” Rita Mancera, executive director of the San Mateo County Coalition for Immigration Rights, said. 

A slew of emails were sent by residents to the Board of Supervisors sharing their support for the ordinance, and “speak to that recognition that we’re just a step away from having it happen here,” Supervisor Jackie Speier said. 

“All of us are deeply scarred by the lawlessness that we see going on around this country right now,” Speier said. 

Mancera said the immigrant community is hesitant to trust any law enforcement. Requiring deputy sheriffs to not be masked, and be quickly identifiable as deputy sheriffs, is important to quell fears, she said. 

The ordinance affirms that the Sheriff’s Office and its deputies must act in compliance with Senate Bill 627, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. The bill, signed into law in September, prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings. 

On Monday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta challenging the Wiener-sponsored law. In response, Wiener said “we’ll see you in court.” 

County policy already prohibits the use of county resources to assist or cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, but an amendment clarifies that immigration authorities are also prohibited from using county property “as a staging area or operation base for federal enforcement actions,” according to the staff report. 

The ordinance also clarifies that federal immigration authorities are prohibited from accessing the county’s firearms range at Coyote Point Park without judicial warrant, to make sure county facilities are not used to support training immigration authorities. 

“Passing this ordinance today, we are sending a clear and unwavering message that San Mateo County stands strongly with our immigrant community and that we are ready to protect and support every member of our community,” Corzo said.