[The] 2021 settlement agreement between the county and immigrant groups was meant to shield some undocumented immigrants in county jails from being handed over to federal immigration authorities if they were victims or witnesses of a crime, exceptions explicitly allowed by state law. The county runs the jails system.
But since 2022, according to U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams, the county has not abided by that agreement. The result is dozens of residents potentially being transferred to federal custody and facing deportation.
The judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said it would be a “gross understatement” to say she is disappointed by the Levine Cava administration’s conduct in violating the settlement agreement. Plaintiffs agreed.
“Unfortunately, what we see is that our local government continues to try to do the work of federal immigration enforcement in a way that makes our communities less safe,” said Oscar Londoño, co-executive director at the immigration non-profit WeCount!, one of the groups that brought the original court case.
And there will be no repercussions as usual