“What we have seen and what has been proven is they are not just going after people with a criminal history. They are going after anyone. We have even seen people who are citizens, who have legal rights to be here, being taken out of their jobs and out of schools...”
-Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom
Local Assemblywoman Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy) is leading California legislators in urging transparency and accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining people suspected of being in the country illegally.
Ransom’s letter, dated June 23 and signed by 45 members of the state Assembly and Senate, is addressed to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons. It states that there have been “countless incidents of masked ICE officers and agents in plain clothing making arrests on the streets, in businesses and in sensitive locations, such as courthouses, without having clearly visible identification as law enforcement through identification, organizational uniform or insignia.”
The letter goes on to state that instances of masked, unidentifiable people taking people off the streets leaves communities fearful and compromises the safety of everyone, including ICE officer and agents, bystanders, citizens at the scenes of these actions, people being apprehended, and local law enforcement.
The legislators urge ICE and its officers and agents to communicate directly with local law enforcement agencies when they plan operations.
“We have seen some in the Central Valley. We’ve seen actions in Fresno. We’ve seen actions in Bakersfield. We’ve seen some in Sacramento as well as San Francisco,” she said. “For us, it’s important that we get ahead of it because of the situations that we’re seeing in other places. We want to make sure we’re prepared for it here.”
Ransom noted that part of her responsibility as a member of the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management is oversight over homeland security, including the California Office of Emergency Services. It also includes staying in contact with federal legislators who would have direct oversight over the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
