San Joaquin County law enforcement has announced that it will not assist in enforcing President Donald Trump’s recent federal immigration crackdown, aligning instead with California state law.
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow and the Stockton Police Department stated that they will not participate in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids unless they involve criminal activity within their jurisdictions. The county is home to approximately 55,000 undocumented immigrants, and officials assured the community that law enforcement's priority remains public safety, not immigration status.
"We've been receiving a lot of questions and a lot of anxiety in certain parts of our community," Withrow said in a video posted to Facebook. He emphasized that his department's approach will remain unchanged. "Whether you're documented or undocumented, we care about good people in our community. We're going to go after bad people."
Stockton police echoed this stance, stating, "We take pride in our approach to not enforcing immigration laws." Mayor Christina Fugazi also reaffirmed Stockton’s commitment to following California law, citing the California Values Act (Senate Bill 54), which prevents local law enforcement from using resources to enforce federal immigration policies.
While some, like former San Joaquin County GOP Chair Pastor Dwight Williams, hope local law enforcement will eventually cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration efforts, others believe police should focus on major criminal activity rather than federal enforcement.
