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Kern County holds Truth Act forum as sheriff reports 19 ICE release-notification requests in 2024
Summary
At a Truth Act community forum, the Kern County Sheriff''s Office said ICE submitted 19 requests for release notification in 2024 and carried out two transfers; ACLU and community advocates urged the county to limit cooperation and improve transparency.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors held its annual Truth Act community forum Tuesday to review 2024 local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to receive public comment.
Chief Deputy Joel Swanson of the Kern County Sheriff's Office opened the sheriff's presentation by saying the office does not enforce federal immigration law and "we are not involved in the enforcement of immigration law, deportations, or immigration sweeps." He described the department's process for ICE requests and said Kern County flagged 19 release-notification requests from ICE in 2024 and reported two transfers to immigration authorities. "In 2024, a total of 28,361 individuals were booked in the Kern County Sheriff's Office jails. During this time, I submitted 19 requests for notification of release," Swanson said in his presentation.
The county's probation director, Frank Herrera, told the board probation received zero ICE hold requests and zero interview requests for youth in 2024; probation did report one request for information on an adult…
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