Decision comes as federal action to enforce US immigration laws inspired three days of protests in the LA area
Edward Helmore at The Guardian:
The California city of Glendale has terminated a contract to house federal immigration detainees, with local officials saying the arrangement had become increasingly “divisive” within the community. The decision by the Los Angeles county municipality to sever ties with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) comes after three days of protests in other parts of the LA area. That included Sunday near the Metropolitan Detention Center, about nine miles from Glendale, where cars were set alight as anti-Ice protesters clashed with law enforcement officers, including the national guard. Glendale city officials described the move to cancel the contract, which has been in place since 2007, as a local decision that was “not politically driven” but was “rooted in what this city stands for – public safety, local accountability, and trust”. “The city recognizes that public perception of the Ice contract – no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good – has become divisive,” it said.
But the decision also reflects political tension among city and state leadership as well as federal government actions to enforce US immigration laws at the heart of the unrest. Glendale’s city leadership said its police department did not and would not enforce federal immigration law, in accordance with a California state statute that prohibits the use of local law enforcement resources for immigration enforcement. “We remain in full compliance” with California state law, the city said in a statement. “The Glendale police department has not engaged in immigration enforcement nor will it do so moving forward.” But they acknowledged that ending the agreement with Ice could make it more difficult for families to visit detained relatives and for people held under immigration laws to access legal counsel in other jurisdictions. Glendale is the third largest city within LA county, with a population of about 210,000. It regards itself as “a progressive community that offers the best in urban-suburban living and is an optimal location for successful businesses large and small”. Glendale’s chamber of commerce calls it the “Jewel City”. In Glendale’s statement on Sunday, it said it “is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the nation”. “That is no accident,” the statement said. “We cannot allow that trust to be undermined.”
Glendale, CA terminates its contract to host federal ICE detainees amid anti-ICE protests in the LA Metro area.
