​Marin County To Host Virtual TRUTH Act Forum

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Marin County is hosting an online community forum Tuesday about a California law called the TRUTH Act and the access local governments may provide to federal immigration authorities.

Originally scheduled in the spring, the immigration discussion was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although the county is hosting the virtual meeting and Board President Katie Rice will serve as moderator, the Marin County Board of Supervisors will take no action on the matter.

The TRUTH Act's longer name is the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act. Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2792 into law in 2016. It pertains to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency and its access to individuals who have come in contact with law enforcement.

By California law, the TRUTH Act requires local governing bodies, in which local law enforcement has provided any ICE access to an individual, to hold a community forum to receive and consider public comment.

At the forum, the Marin County Sheriff's Office plans to share data it maintains regarding the number and demographic characteristics of individuals to whom the agency has provided any ICE access. According to the county, sheriff policies have been modified since 2017 to emphasize that staff no longer inquire about immigration status when carrying out their duties; have stopped responding to ICE regarding release dates for low-level offenses; and, as of Aug. 15, 2020, ICE is no longer allowed in the booking areas of the jail facility.

The online forum is slated to start at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The public forum will be livestreamed online on both the county's website and on the Community Media Center of Marin webpage. Comcast subscribers will be able to watch the session live on Channel 27.

Spanish translation services will be available. To listen to the forum in Spanish, or to give public comment, join the meeting using Zoom. Details about joining through Zoom are on the Board of Supervisors' webpage, which can be translated into Spanish through the "select language" choice at the top of the page. When joining by Zoom, attendees are presented with a prompt to select a preferred language.