Letter to the Hon. Kirstjen Nielsen - Request Urgent Meeting with DHS Immigration Threats

Letter

January 12, 2018

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
650 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

Dear Secretary Nielsen,

We are deeply concerned about the comments made by the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Thomas Homan, to circumvent California State Laws and increase enforcement in our communities. On a Fox News interview on January 2, 2018, Acting Director Homan, stated that he plans to "vastly increase the enforcement footprint in California"[1] and "conduct at-large arrests in local neighborhoods and at worksites."[2] These statements are a direct threat to Californians and we request a meeting with you and Acting Director Homan so that he may clarify his statements before Members of Congress.
As members of communities that ICE has targeted, we are concerned by Acting Director Homan's statements and this administration's repeated attempts to threaten California for enforcing laws that restore public safety. These statements are reprehensible and the department's change in policy will instill fear in our communities.

Under California Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act, the state of California is not mandated to use state and local law enforcement resources to conduct immigration operations. The purpose of SB54 is to ensure that California's limited resources are effectively used to combat crime instead of targeting hardworking parents and families. Acting Director Homan's attack on sanctuary cities is not only an infringement of state rights but a direct assault on communities of color.

To clarify the misconception, SB54 is not intended to "safeguard dangerous illegal immigrant criminals from deportation" or create "another magnet for more illegal immigration, at the expense of safety and security of the very people it purports to protect." In fact, SB54 allows state and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration agents if a detained individual has been convicted of one or more offenses listed under the 2013 California Trust Act.
California law enforcement should not be deputized as immigration agents to incite fear in our communities and undermine public safety. It is essential that you reprimand Acting Secretary Homan and work with us to restore the trust that is necessary for our communities.
Thank you for your time and consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Gomez
Zoe Lofgren

Mark DeSaulnier
Mike Thompson
Anna G. Eshoo
Ro Khanna
Susan A. Davis
Pete Aguilar
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Jared Huffman
Mark Takano
Tony Cárdenas
Juan Vargas
Grace F. Napolitano
Norma Torres
Jerry McNerney
Barbara Lee
Doris O. Matsui
Linda T. Sanchez
Judy Chu