Immigrant advocates rally at Sheriff Mims’ office to protest ICE agents in Fresno County Jail
In a third effort to end all collaboration between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Fresno County, immigrant-rights supporters held a rally Thursday to tell Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims that ICE makes the community less safe and less likely to trust law enforcement.
At a noontime rally, demonstrators said that deportation is not the answer to controlling illegal immigration, and that immigration enforcement is not her job.
The rally was called in the wake of Mims reaching an agreement with ICE for a pilot project at County Jail. Two ICE agents are now stationed there to review the records of inmates being readied for release to see if they should be deported.
However, Mims defended her interaction with ICE, stating in a news conference that she is aware of the protestors and their position, but it’s not realistic for anyone to expect her or any other sheriff to not communicate with ICE.
She is going to continue to communicate with federal law enforcement toward the goal of keeping county residents safe from individuals like the suspect in a San Francisco case — a convicted felon illegally in the U.S. who allegedly shot a woman to death.
“We aren’t screening people in the community, like some rumors have started, for deportation,” Mims said. “Only people that have committed crimes and are arrested by local law enforcement agencies in Fresno County.”
Around 60 immigrant advocates gathered Thursday morning on the steps of the Sheriff’s Office in downtown Fresno holding colorful signs and chanting “ Ice out of Fresno now!” and “Mims listen! Immigration is not your business!” Among those present were representatives from Fresno Immigrant Youth in Action, California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance and the California Prison Moratorium Project.
Luis Ojeda, statewide coordinator for California Immigrant Youth Justice, said the ICE Out of Fresno campaign launched the day after Mims implemented the pilot program on June 22. Ojeda said the groups involved are trying to build more community outreach. He said most people don’t know what Mims is up to.
Campaign workers will soon they will go door to door with petitions to inform locals that ICE isn’t needed in Fresno.
Ojeda said deportation is not the answer, and using the San Francisco incident as an excuse to have programs like ICE does more harm than good. He said ICE makes the community less safe because members are inclined to distrust the police, less likely to collaborate and less likely to report crimes, Ojeda said.
“I think the answer is to reform our criminal justice system that we have in place so it’s not just targeting people of color,” Ojeda said.
Mims said the program at County Jail was implemented before the San Francisco incident and it’s working.
“We want to make sure we hold people accountable and that they don’t break the law,” she said. “Only people that get arrested with local law enforcement agencies and meet the priority enforcement code with ICE are the people that we are looking out for.”
Mims acknowledged that activists will probably continue to protest, and said she has to respect their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.
“As long as they continue to be peaceful they will continue to protest,” she said. “And that’s OK.”
Nicole Santos: 559-441-6247, @Iam_NicoleS
This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Immigrant advocates rally at Sheriff Mims’ office to protest ICE agents in Fresno County Jail."