New law requires inmate’s consent for federal interviews

A new California law requires law enforcement agencies to have inmates sign a written consent before being interviewed by the federal immigration agency.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the measure, Assembly Bill 2792, on Sept. 28. It limits interviews by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

The governor wrote, “The author and proponents greatly modified these far reaching provisions, and the bill now reflects a measured approach to due process and transparency principles,” reported The Desert Sun.

Jon Rodney, spokesman for the California Immigrant Policy Center, said, “California must do much more to ease the pain of harsh deportations that continue to demonize and devastate communities across the state. Harsh deportations stemming from the tangling of police and ICE – an unaccountable agency with a long track record of deceiving the public – are causing pain and suffering across California.”

AB 2792 requires inmates be informed of their right to refuse interviews with ICE officials while incarcerated. The new law also makes communication between ICE and local law enforcement agencies subject to public record laws.

The author, Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, wrote, “The damage to our communities has been tremendous. Parents and children are being separated from their families. Trust in law enforcement is disappearing. Victims and witnesses are now afraid of the police who are supposed to protect them.”