Los Angeles, California – For the first time in nearly four years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has resumed transferring inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), using a narrow legal pathway that appears to avoid direct conflict with sanctuary laws—but not without raising questions about legality, accountability, and the human cost.
Records show that at least eight individuals in custody were turned over to ICE in May, with another twelve in June. The department says the transfers complied with local and state sanctuary rules because, in all but one case, the inmates had federal judicial warrants—an important distinction that gives local law enforcement the cover to cooperate with federal authorities without technically violating city or state protections for undocumented residents.
In the single case where no warrant existed, officials say the transfer was tied to pending federal criminal charges, agreed upon by both the Department of Homeland Security and the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office…