By Vanguard Staff
LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Thursday that his department is legally obligated to comply with federal judicial warrants and has “no choice” but to transfer certain individuals in county custody to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Speaking at a press conference at the Hall of Justice, Luna responded to public concerns following a Los Angeles Times report that revealed the sheriff’s department transferred 20 inmates to ICE custody in May and June. Luna emphasized that these transfers were made in response to federal warrants signed by judges and involved individuals facing serious criminal charges.
“It’s a federal judicial warrant signed by a judge. There’s no choice,” Luna said. “That means somebody has gone before a judge to get an arrest warrant for them.”
He said the department only acts in cases where there is probable cause and the individual has been charged with significant offenses such as attempted murder, rape, or robbery. “This isn’t the ice cream vendor, the lady making tacos on the street,” he added.
Federal judicial warrants differ from civil immigration detainers, which the sheriff’s department does not honor due to California’s sanctuary laws. Luna said the department received 995 detainer requests from ICE in 2024 and complied with none, citing state and local prohibitions.
The sheriff also addressed a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice issued Thursday, which indicated that the DOJ has sent letters to sheriffs in several California counties—including Los Angeles—requesting lists of inmates who are not U.S. citizens, their criminal histories, and their anticipated release dates. The statement said the DOJ hopes sheriffs will comply voluntarily, but warned that it may resort to subpoenas if necessary.
Luna said he had not yet received the letter but would review it upon receipt. “Once we receive the letter, we will absolutely review it to determine what information, if any, we can legally provide,” he said.
He also noted that his department does not ask about immigration status during jail bookings and expressed uncertainty about whether the agency has the technical ability to compile a list of non-citizen inmates. However, he acknowledged that federal agencies can access custody information through the national fingerprint system used during booking.
Luna told the L.A. County Civilian Oversight Commission earlier in the day that when a person is booked, “you get booked, processed and you get Livescanned, that’s a national system, so agents of the federal government will know you’re in custody.”
During the press conference, Luna reiterated that his department does not participate in ICE’s street-level operations, which have drawn protests and fear in immigrant communities. “We should all be concerned” about “federal agents either chasing people around a car wash or a Home Depot,” he said.
“I completely understand the concern, the fear and anxiety from our community here in Los Angeles County,” Luna said. “We do not honor ICE detainers or requests for transfers. We do not allow immigration officials to operate within our facilities, and we do not permit the use of county property databases or personnel by ICE.”
