Even so-called “sanctuary” communities, which aim to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation, are at odds over when to cooperate with federal immigration officials. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, often seeks assistance from local law enforcement agencies to find and deport those who are undocumented, however, an NBC Bay Area investigation reveals how those requests are met with varied responses across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Some local law enforcement agencies, for example, consistently refuse to help ICE, even in cases where the deportation involves individuals who have a history of committing serious and violent crimes.
“I think that we have a balance right now between public safety and the interests in our community,” said San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, whose department chooses to cooperate with ICE only in rare cases.
“We can’t just say, unequivocally, no cooperation at all.”…