Dick Spotswood: ICE atrocities hit specific note here in Marin

Actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Battle of Minneapolis have stirred passions across America. Every weekend, Marin residents are standing on freeway overpasses protesting ICE’s brutality. The January “national shutdown” found students at middle and high schools adding their voices to those of seniors at The Redwoods, Mill Valley’s retirement community.

These folks are the modern version of minutemen. Instead of shouting, “The British are Coming,” the refrain is, “ICE is coming.”

America needs secure borders. Former President Joe Biden’s yielding to progressives who seemingly demanded open borders was a policy mistake and a political flop. Border enforcement officers who follow the law are essential. They should eject those who bypass border controls and then commit violent felonies.

Videos depicting the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by masked thugs representing ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol were repulsive. Now we have another horrible headline: “Five-year-old detained in ICE raid returned to Minnesota with father.”

According to the report on News.Sky.com: “Liam Conejo Ramos was taken into custody (by ICE agents) in his Minneapolis driveway after returning from preschool. … A photo of Liam wearing a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack as he was surrounded by ICE officers went viral and caused outrage.”

After being flown to a federal concentration camp in Texas, Liam and his dad were freed by San Antonio’s U.S. District Court. In a blistering opinion, Judge Fred Biery Jr. said, “Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest knows no bounds and are bereft of human decency … and the rule of law be damned.”

Cruelty might be the point. As President Donald Trump wrote on social media last year, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning.”

“Trumpicans” contend that ICE is “law enforcement.” That falsehood slanders the reputation of those who, like my late father, honorably wore the star. ICE is an armed, masked militia that appears to only answer to Trump.

Some justly outraged by ICE seek someone local to blame. We should focus on Trump and his collaborators to know the source of our furor.

County Executive Derek Johnson told the IJ, “The activities of ICE agents do not align with Marin County’s values in which we as a county are emphasizing community trust, fairness and equitable treatment of all persons who are arrested.”

I spoke with Marin’s Sheriff Jamie Scardina on the topic. Raised in Corte Madera, he graduated from Marin Catholic High School. He fully ascribes to Johnson’s statement. Scardina is criticized for not rejecting SCAAP (State of California Alien Assistance Program) “federal assistance grants that require local law enforcement to share data on immigrant detainees with the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Scardina confirmed that the county is fully compliant with California Senate Bill 54 (Sanctuary State Act) mandates. It prohibits the use of local police for immigration enforcement. Criminal records released to federal agencies are already public documents and deal only with violent felonies.

The county received $1.3 million over three years in SCAAP reimbursements for incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens. That process is so delayed that the last data released was accumulated in 2023.

Marin residents who are infuriated by ICE and disagree even with the sheriff’s minimal involvement have a venue. The Board of Supervisors will conduct their annual “Truth Act Forum” on March 10 at 5 p.m. The Truth Act requires counties to seek public input regarding access local governments provide to federal immigration authorities. Spanish-English translators are provided.

The Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission is up and running. It next meets Monday at 5 p.m. in the Marin County Fairgrounds’ Showcase Theater. Learn more at bit.ly/4rvTm4F.

I need to correct the record following last week’s column. Elections for seats on most noncountywide Marin elected offices will not be held this June. They’ll be this November. That includes Marin’s city councils, school boards and special purpose districts. Election for district attorney and sheriff-coroner will be in November 2028 as will two posts on Marin County’s Board of Education.

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.