Local Police Distance From Federal Immigration Enforcement In Concord

CONCORD, CA — The Concord Police Department reported that federal immigration authorities conducted enforcement operations in the city on Saturday, distancing itself from the action in a social media post.

"The Concord Police Department became aware of federal immigration enforcement activity that occurred in Concord today. We did not assist in this activity in any way and have no details on this federal operation," the police department wrote on Facebook.

A request for comment from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, was not immediately returned.

The mayor's office did not respond to emailed questions about the reported action.
The police department's policy states that "an officer shall not detain any individual, for any length of time, for a civil violation of federal immigration laws or a related civil warrant."

The policy does allow the department to share and receive the immigration status of someone arrested for other crimes.

The policy explicitly mentions the need to allow victims and witnesses of hate crimes to report crime to the police department without fear of detention for immigration status, a policy outlined in state law.

California and local governments in the state have passed a series of laws known as sanctuary laws that restrict certain cooperation with federal immigration authorities, mostly around sharing information and using local law enforcement resources to participate in immigration enforcement operations, except those involving investigations into other violent crime.

The Trump administration announced an aggressive immigration enforcement push after his inauguration, including nationwide ICE arrests, using military jets to transport deportees and a plan to construct a large detention facility at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.