Monterey County immigration task force preparing for possible ICE raids

President Donald Trump announced Saturday, the deportation of illegal immigrants in 10 cities nationwide would be postponed to possibly find a solution across the isle.

Although no cities on the Central Coast are on that list, there are still concerns from some in our area could be next.

“We are prepared that if these things come down we have peaceful legal responses we have ties to pretty much all the immigration attorneys in Monterey county and Santa Cruz County,” Deb Clifford with the Monterey County immigration task force said.

According to Clifford, these possible ICE raids could be unconstitutional.

“If people are living here peacefully and there are no grounds…they need to have signed warrants for every person they are going to detain or its wildly against the law,” Clifford said.

Immigration and Customs enforcement has insisted they focus on people who pose a safety or nation security threat:

“…90 percent of aliens arrested by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations component in FY2018 had either a criminal conviction(s), pending criminal charge(s), were an ICE fugitive, or illegally reentered the country after previously being removed…”

President Trump said Saturday the deportations will be done lawfully.

“They came into our country illegally, and we’re taking them out legally were bringing them back to their country,” President Trump said.

Saturday Governor Gavin Newsom strongly reminded immigrants in our state of their rights.

“Without a warrant, you do not have to open the door,” Newsom says.

The immigration task force in Monterey County has a hotline, where they encourage people to call if they see ICE activity and especially if there’s a violation of civil rights.

“A lot of people here have friends, they have neighbors that they don’t even know may not have proper documentation. People who may not have proper documentation, and they won’t know until these people are ripped out of their lives,” Clifford said.

According to the president, the ICE raids will be delayed for two weeks at the request of democrats. However, if a solution is not met, the deportations will begin immediately.