From [HERE] Police Department will no longer comply with requests from federal immigration officials to detain illegal immigrants arrested for low-level crimes and wanted for deportation, the Los Angeles Times reports Police Chief Charlie Beck has said. Beck has said that federal immigration policies unfairly target non-violent offenders who are illegal immigrants, the Times reports. The move would affect about 4,000 arrests a year of illegal immigrants who are wanted for deportation, according to the Times.
At a morning news conference, Beck said he hopes to have the new policies in effect by the end of the year, the Times reports. A civilian oversight board must first approve them, according to the news organization. In some arrests, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency asks LAPD to put a 48-hour hold on detainees in order to give the agency time to start deportation proceedings, the Times reports.
Under the new rules, the LAPD would not keep those in custody arrested for non-violent misdemeanors, according to the Times. The crimes are being discussed, but they could include illegal vending, driving without a license and drinking in public, the Times reports.
Beck said the changes are a way for the city to rebuild trust with its communities.
"We need to build trust in these communities," the Times quoted Beck as saying. "We need to build cooperation."