Trump administration asks California sheriffs for data on immigrant inmates
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Justice Department seeks inmate data from California sheriffs on immigrants.
- Feds' request comes as Trump administration looks to increase ICE enforcement.
- California law currently prohibits jail cooperation with federal immigration officials.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced it is asking sheriffs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other California counties for information on inmates in their jails who are not U.S. citizens.
The Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, which runs the county’s two detention facilities downtown and near Elk Grove, and other counties in the capital region are not currently included.
Natalie Baldassarre, a Department of Justice spokesperson, said the Riverside County and San Diego County sheriff’s offices were the other agencies that would receive requests.
The Justice Department in a news release said the action was “designed to assist federal immigration authorities in prioritizing the removal of illegal aliens who committed crimes after illegally entering the United States.” The agency said it wants to know when the inmates are scheduled to be released and also what crimes they were arrested on suspicion of or convicted for.
“I look forward to cooperating with California’s county sheriffs to accomplish our shared duty of keeping Californians and all Americans safe and secure,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
Senate Bill 54, which went into effect in 2018, currently restricts when deputies are allowed to contact ICE about inmates in their jails. Sheriffs have publicly criticized the law and say they want to be able to do more. Jail officials are allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities if an inmate has been convicted of a variety of crimes, including murder, rape and assault.
“The sheriff will respond to any request for information consistent with local, state, and federal law and the sheriff has and will continue to honor judicial warrants,” San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said in a statement. “My priority is public safety — not politics — and we will not foster fear in immigrant communities by acting as an arm of immigration enforcement.”
The Justice Department said it wanted the California sheriffs to voluntarily produce the information requested but would “pursue all available means of obtaining the data” if that didn’t occur.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Deirdre Vickers said the agency had not received the DOJ’s request as of Thursday afternoon.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said it could not comment Thursday on Bondi’s letter, but officials said the agency follows state law as outlined in SB 54.
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 10:11 AM.
