Santa Cruz leaders slam feds over immigration detentions during gang operation
Santa Cruz law enforcement leaders took the unusual step of castigating federal Department of Homeland Security officials Thursday over a joint gang bust that the city participated in, only to later learn that federal agents detained individuals based solely on their immigration status.
“This has violated the trust of our community, and we cannot tell you how disappointed we are by the betrayal of the Department of Homeland Security,” said Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel, who was joined by the city’s mayor and his deputy chief at a news conference.
The police officials revealed in specific detail how the recent operation was conducted, and just how much local police knew, as they accused federal officials of misleading them on the full scope of the raid and said they had contacted members of Congress to investigate the matter.
The city’s response came just days after the Trump administration released a pair of memos explaining how it will implement the president’s executive orders cracking down on illegal immigration.
Experts and advocates for immigrants said the episode highlights the tension local agencies could face — particularly in sanctuary cities like Santa Cruz and San Francisco — if they cooperate with federal authorities in investigations that target gangs, terrorism and other high-profile crimes.
“I think the fact that the (police department) felt the need for a post-event press conference to ‘apologize’ to the community indicates how much they believe that their participation in immigration enforcement is going to be detrimental to their public safety goals,” said Pratheepan Gulasekaram, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law and an immigration expert.
Deputy Police Chief Dan Flippo detailed the operation at the news conference, saying the investigation started years ago after officers learned the gang had moved into the city.
On the day of the operation, however, Flippo said he learned from the local news media that some community members were concerned about federal agents making identification checks during the raids.