Marin Leader

Marin County recently issued the following announcement on Nov. 24..

Marin County residents are invited to participate in an online community forum about a California law called the TRUTH Act and the access local governments may provide to federal immigration authorities.

The online forum is scheduled for 5 p.m. December 1. This public forum will be livestreamed online on both the County’s website and on the Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM) 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 the Zoom format 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.

Although the County government is hosting the meeting and Board President Katie Rice will serve as moderator, the Marin County Board of Supervisors will take no action on the matter.

In March 2020, the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended the cancellation or postponement of all nonessential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It was rescheduled to December 1, and the restrictions on large public in-person gatherings is still in effect.

The TRUTH Act’s longer name is the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act. Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2792 into law on September 28, 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. 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 August 15, 2020, ICE is no longer allowed in the booking areas of the jail facility.

Original source can be found here.