Bay Area Sheriffs Fire Back on 'Sanctuary County' Claims

Center for Immigration Studies’ claims that several Tampa Bay area counties are safe havens for illegal immigrants are false, sheriff’s offices in those counties say.

Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties were all listed in a recently released report as being among seven in the Sunshine State that “have policies, laws, executive orders, or regulations allowing them to avoid cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement authorities,” the center claims. “These ‘cities’ ignore federal law authorizing U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to administratively deport illegal aliens without seeking criminal warrants or convictions from federal, state, or local courts.”

Sheriffs’ offices from all three counties are crying foul on the findings. All three frequently place federal holds on inmates, their jail records indicate, and all three have gone on the record adamantly saying they follow the U.S. Constitution when it comes to detaining prisoners.

“It’s certainly not true; we cooperate fully with ICE,” said Hillsborough County’s Col. Ken Davis, who oversees Hillsborough County’s jails. “We require the same thing we require to hold for anybody else. We require probable cause.”

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Davis said the probable cause standard is required for any inmate to be held in jail, regardless of immigration status.

“We’re following the Constitution and we require probable cause,” he said.

The death of a San Francisco woman allegedly shot by an undocumented immigrant with a criminal past has put “sanctuary” cities and counties across the country in the spotlight. Those jurisdictions are under fire for failing to honor requests from federal agencies to place jail holds on people who are found to be in the country illegally.

Pinellas and Pasco counties’ sheriffs have gone on the radio and taken to the Internet to refute the center’s claims.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cristen Smith said residents have been calling about the claim since it hit the Internet earlier in July.

Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri fired back on Facebook.

“Many of you have heard that Pinellas County is a Sanctuary County—this is totally false,” he wrote on Facebook. “Border control and immigration enforcement is solely the federal government’s responsibility; sheriffs and local police have no authority to enforce federal immigration law. However, PCSO fully cooperates with ICE and Pinellas County is NOT a Sanctuary County.”

Gualtieri went on to explain that Pinellas participates in ICE’s Secure Communities program and honors all “court orders and lawful ICE requests to hold criminal illegal aliens in our jail.”

In Pasco County, Sheriff Chris Nocco also took to Facebook to explain his agency’s stand.

“The Center for Immigration Studies has released a false finding claiming Pasco and many other Florida counties including Hillsborough and Pinellas are ‘Sanctuary Cities,’” he wrote. “This false statement is absurd.”

Nocco insists that Pasco “has proven we will enforce the laws of the land and we will uphold the Constitution – it is a solemn obligation that we take seriously.”

Nocco went on to condemn the actions in San Francisco that allegedly resulted in the death of 32-year-old Kate Steinle.

“A true ‘Sanctuary City’ can be seen in San Francisco, and the actions by their Sheriff, which allowed a killer to be on the street,” Nocco’s post stated.

He also placed blame squarely on the federal government: “It is the indecisiveness and unwillingness of the federal government to make clear decisions on illegal immigration that does not allow a consistent national approach.”

Gaultieri echoed the sentiment in his own post.

“Please don’t confuse any issues concerning the federal government’s responsibility to enforce our nation’s immigration laws with local law enforcement responsibility.”

The Center for Immigration Studies full report and map can be viewed on its website.

Image via Shutterstock