SB 54 erodes transparency and prevents Sheriff Bill Brown from helping immigration enforcement officers. Many complain Sheriff Brown is being “silent.” He can’t do much due to the restriction imposed by SB54. Here are three reasons why:
(1) ICE does big sweeps because the agency can’t communicate with local authorities due to SB 54. The Sheriff's hands are tied to being a liaison on the local level. The Truth Act, enacted before SB 54, makes the Sheriff report interactions about people in custody with Federal Immigration Authorities. But, SB54 prevents the Sheriff from reporting to the federal government about illegal immigrants unless the federal government has a warrant for the individual.
(2) When there is an investigation, like Glass House, if not for SB54, the Sheriff could be on scene for public safety support as a liaison to help legitimize searches and provide transparency.