Calistoga police chief tells council department does not enforce federal immigration laws

Police Chief McCaffrey told the Calistoga City Council on April 8 that the Calistoga Police Department does not enforce federal immigration laws and that immigration status is irrelevant to the department’s delivery of services.

“In general speaking state and municipal police officers do not enforce federal law specifically here in state of California it's prohibited by law,” McCaffrey said in a presentation requested by the council. He said there are limited exceptions for deputies assigned to federal task forces who are deputized for specific enforcement duties, but those are rare.

McCaffrey said local officers do not “detain or question people about their immigration documentation” and do not use Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a resource for enforcement or interpretation. “If somebody comes to us as a victim, immigration status has no bearing on what services they may or may not get,” he said.

The chief described an instance earlier that day when ICE officers were in town for a targeted matter; he said ICE notified local police but did not request assistance. “They are pretty much have gotten the message in California that that's not gonna happen anyway,” McCaffrey said, describing state law and department policy that limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

McCaffrey also described community outreach the department has taken to reduce concern about immigration enforcement — including participation in “Know Your Rights” events organized by Up Valley Family Center and public presentations to clarify what local police will and will not do. He told the council the attendance at recent community events suggested anxiety over enforcement had decreased.

Council members thanked McCaffrey and expressed support. Vice Mayor Lopez Ortega said Calistoga’s Latino residents “feel safe and they know they can trust our police department.” Council members asked whether the chief could take public questions; McCaffrey invited questions but no members of the public asked one at the meeting.

McCaffrey said the only circumstance that might lead to local arrest on a federal matter is the existence of a federal criminal warrant signed by a judge; civil immigration detainers, he said, are not a basis for detention by local officers under state law and department policy.

The council received the presentation; no formal action or policy change was proposed or adopted during the meeting.