The Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested data on non-citizen inmates from major California county jails, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, looking for information on their crimes and release dates.
The request targets counties that have historically limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The data collection effort represents the latest escalation in the administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Removing criminal illegal aliens is this Administration’s highest priority,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a July 17 press release. “I look forward to cooperating with California’s county sheriffs to accomplish our shared duty of keeping Californians and all Americans safe and secure.”
The DOJ requested lists of all non-citizen inmates, including their arrest or conviction charges and scheduled release dates. Officials say the information will help federal authorities prioritize deportations.
The Department hopes sheriffs will comply voluntarily. If not, DOJ officials warned they will pursue “all available means of obtaining the data, including through subpoenas or other compulsory process.”
The move comes amid broader federal efforts to challenge California’s immigration policies. In June, the DOJ filed statements supporting Huntington Beach’s lawsuit against state sanctuary laws and challenged a Kentucky regulation offering in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.
California has long resisted federal immigration enforcement efforts. State law limits local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly regarding detention requests.
The DOJ announcement emphasized that while all undocumented immigrants violate federal law, those who commit additional crimes “pose a heightened risk to our Nation’s safety and security.” The statement described recent border crossings as an “invasion of illegal aliens at an unprecedented scale.”