Head of federal immigration enforcement to appear in Sacramento

The acting director of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will speak Tuesday at a public forum in Sacramento hosted by Sheriff Scott Jones.

A flier distributed on social media by the Sheriff’s Department said Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan will talk about “how immigration enforcement is being prioritized in the community, what role the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department or other local law enforcement plays, and what information is true or false.”

The forum will include a question and answer period.

“While agreement may not be reached on every point, the intent of this forum is to try and find common ground by reducing conflicting information, eliminating ambiguity, and reducing fear by presenting factual information directly from their sources,” the flier reads.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Dr. Ephraim Williams Family Life Center, 4036 14th Ave.

Homan and Jones could face a raucous crowd. The Trump administration has taken a tough stance on immigration, sending fears through many communities that deportations will increase.

Jones has been critical of legislative attempts at the state Capitol to prohibit local agencies from cooperating with immigration authorities, saying he thinks “federal law reigns supreme.” Still, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department has said it does not share immigration status of inmates with federal authorities.

Moments after the Sheriff’s Department posted the announcement on social media, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County took to Instagram with an “action alert.”

“It’s time to tell Scott Jones what we think of his discriminatory efforts to divide families & harm our community. Join us as we stand united against his hate-filled attacks against immigrants,” the alert read.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Head of federal immigration enforcement to appear in Sacramento."