First write-through
Investigative agents from the Department of Homeland Security are looking into a violent crime in Mendocino County, Sheriff Matt Kendall said.
Kendall said the agents requested to use an interview room at the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, and he agreed after determining that the crime under investigation is not related to immigration enforcement.
Kendall also noted that immigration agents have been active in Mendocino County and will continue their operations, focusing on apprehending individuals convicted of violent crimes. Before the passage of the state’s sanctuary law, Senate Bill 54, also known as the California Values Act, these individuals would have been directly transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Since the law took effect in 2018, immigrants convicted of violent crimes have been released into the community.
Kendall said to his knowledge foreign nationals who live and work in Mendocino County and who lack legal papers, such as a work visa or other kind of visa, are not being targeted by immigration enforcement actions.
