The LA sheriff sure has to make a balance between public safety and the fear of immigrants.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in an interview with the newspaper The opinion that only transfer to Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) those immigrants who have serious crimes and qualify under the Sanctuary law (SB54).

"As a sheriff, I have to make a balance between public safety and not increase fear in the undocumented community. Because we are involved in migration. The undocumented themselves do not want to live near dangerous prisoners. We let those go with ICE contractors. ”

And he stressed that they do not protect any inmate at the request of ICE. “If they are not present, they leave free. Already four judges declared the arrest warrants unconstitutional. ”

He also denied that, within the Sheriff's Department, ICE contractors are allowed access. "The contractors work for several agencies in the transfer of prisoners."

Sheriff Alex Villanueva says there is a campaign against him by organizations that do not want him to transfer any inmate to ICE. (Araceli Martínez / The Opinion).

According to the sheriff there was a reduction in the transfer of undocumented immigrants to ICE by 50% between 2019 and 2018. “We transferred around 500, and a year earlier they were about 1,000 (when Sheriff McDonald was there); and in 2017 they were like 1,200 ”.

On the accusations of organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other organizations that ICE is still within the Sheriff's Department through contractors, he said that what happens is that they do not want to be transferred to any inmate.

"The ACLU has a dishonest campaign against me and the department, financed by interests that come from outside," he said.

He also pointed out as false that they say they are used 1.5 million dollars from the Sheriff's Department budget to transfer immigrants to ICE.

“It's another false report. That money is used for the salary and benefits of nine custodial assistants who verify who qualifies for the transfer to ICE of inmates under SB54, ”he said. “Someone has to do the job, we are not going to let ICE take care of that, and we prefer to take responsibility. Therefore, we don't see it as a waste of money. ”

The Sheriff reiterated that they will not hand over undocumented immigrants detained, only to those who are a danger.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva says sheriffs fire when they have no other option to protect their lives. (Aurelia Ventura / The Opinion)

Shooting and sheriffs

Sheriff Villanueva acknowledged that last year they had 28 shootings that involved their sheriffs, but said there is only one that happened on June 6 that is controversial and investigated.

“The people who keep the account do not say how many of those people involved in the shootings were armed and tried to kill sheriffs. They don't want to know that, just that we pull the trigger and that we are automatically guilty. ”

He said that on July 4, four sheriffs survived a miracle by hand assault armed with AK47 automatic rifles from a bulletproof armored car.

“Unfortunately, they killed a man who was on the street; and that is the reality outside that activists do not want to accept or let know. We did not choose to use deadly force, ”he says. “The actions of the suspects leave us very little room. We always try to find an alternative before pulling the trigger, but there are not always conditions. ”

Villanueva mentioned that recently in Santa Clarita, an armed man pointed at a sheriff, and when he ordered him to drop the weapon, and he didn't want to, then he shot him. “He had to do it because he was under threat of being shot. That unfortunately happens much more frequently. ”

However, he emphasized that if a sheriff uses force inappropriately, and the investigation determines a punishment that can be discipline, dismissal or criminal charges, he accepts and respects it.

“All that is always on the table when we do the research. We are very objective. Homicide investigators, internal affairs people and the district attorney analyze each shooting to see if the actions were backed by law, a tactical error or there was no reason. Depending on the case, the elements dictate what will be done. ”

Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he has fulfilled his campaign promises. (Aurelia Ventura / The Opinion)

Transparency

Sheriff Villanueva said they will not wait for a court to order them to be more transparent. “We are already putting everything in the public light on our sheriff's website. If you go to the ‘transparency’ part, you can find statistics, discipline, use of force, shootings, district attorney report with all the details. Everything is available to the public. ”

He said he has also promoted as never before women and men from minorities within the Department. "20% of the new promotions have been women, 41% Latino, 15% African American, 36% Anglo-Saxon and 4.5% Asian. 18% of staff are women. ”

The accident in which Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna lost their lives.
The subject of the photos of the accident in which Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna lost their lives. (Getty Images)

The photos of the Kobe Bryant accident

On reports that some Los Angeles Sheriff agents took and received photos of the accident in the helicopter that claimed the life of Kobe Bryant, her daughter and seven others, on June 26, said there is an ongoing investigation that It is in its beginnings.

“We were able to identify eight sheriffs who took or received them. All were removed from their cell phones, but I can't talk about other people who had access to the place. There was a complaint from Kobe's widow, and we are with her for everything she has suffered. To think that we could increase that suffering with irresponsible acts, makes me very sad. ”

Sheriff Alex Villanueva with pro-immigrant activists. (Jorge Luis Macías, Special for Opinion)

Board of Supervisors, an obstacle

During the interview, Villanueva, who was elected to office in November 2018, said it is sad that there are people in the county who prefer an “incompetent Anglo-Saxon,” but dependent on the Board of Supervisors. "As the leader elected by the voters, I am independent of the Board and I will be everything in my power to work for the community, ”he said.

And he added that he carries out the reforms he promised in the campaign, but he is sad that he could have achieved without the interference of the Board of Supervisors.

"Starting this summer, we will put cameras in the sheriffs' bodies in the first five seasons, and in a year, the entire department will be equipped"He emphasized.

Sheriff Villanueva said he will continue to give a public voice to the undocumented because he sees them as part of the US and has worked with them all his professional life.

"If the White House wants to use them as a campaign weapon for their re-election, it will go wrong," he said. "It is immoral and a huge lack of ethics to try to put together immigration laws for a political campaign purpose."

And although he claimed to have received death threats on social networks, and that he has been told to resign for violating his oath, Villanueva said he will continue because he was elected bailiff, is Latino and his wife is Latino, born and raised in East Los Angeles and its parents are immigrants from Mexico.

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