Glendale, CA, announced it had terminated its contract with ICE to hold detainees at the Glendale City Jail in response to the Los Angeles riots.
Glendale is located about 8.7 miles north of Los Angeles.
This is a local decision and was not made lightly. Since 2007, the City has maintained a highly regulated, locally controlled facility that is maintained to the highest standards, extending basic dignities to those temporarily held—ensuring access to clean accommodations, on-call medical care, family visitation, and legal counsel. By offering local access, detainees were given due-process proximity that is too often lacking in more remote or privately-operated detention centers.Nevertheless, despite the transparency and safeguards the City has upheld, the City recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive. And while opinions on this issue may vary—the decision to terminate this contract is not politically driven. It is rooted in what this City stands for—public safety, local accountability, and trust.
The city made the announcement after The Los Angeles Times outed its 18-year contract with ICE.
The publication said the agreement violates California Senate Bill 54, “which prohibits local law enforcement from using resources for immigration enforcement.”
Glendale insists the police department has never “engaged in immigration enforcement, nor will it do so moving forward.”
Glendale Police Chief Manuel Cid told the city council that ICE has rarely used the facility for detentions since former President Barack Obama’s administration.
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