Justice Department requests lists of undocumented immigrants in LA County jails
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the U.S. Department of Justice is targeting him after the federal government requested a list of incarcerated undocumented immigrants.
During a news conference on Thursday, Luna said the federal government has threatened to charge him if his agency does not cooperate.
“I’ve personally received, I’m going to call it, threatening letters from the federal government to make sure that we are cooperating with them, doing civil immigration enforcement,” Luna said. “A lot of them say, if you don’t, there’s going to be consequences up to the point of you being charged federally.”
The Justice Department said they have sent requests to sheriff’s departments across California asking “for lists of all inmates in their jails who are not citizens of the United States, their crimes of arrest or conviction, and their scheduled release dates.”
Luna said he hasn’t seen the request. He added that even if he did, the Sheriff’s Department wouldn’t be able to help the DOJ.
“We don’t ask for immigration status,” Luna said. “I don’t know how we’re going to provide a list to anybody, whether it’s the fed or anybody else.”
Sanctuary laws in California and Los Angeles also bar local law enforcement from sharing information with immigration agents unless the federal government has a warrant. Luna said federal agents secured warrants for 20 incarcerated people this year, but the Trump administration is requesting more data without warrants.
“At least for this year, there’s 435 people that they’ve asked for in 2025,” Luna said. “We have not fulfilled any of them because of state law.”
Republicans said California’s sanctuary laws are hurting public safety.
“You’re not allowed to talk to ICE. You’re not allowed to coordinate,” Rep. Kevin Kiley said. “You’re not allowed to coordinate. You’re not allowed to honor a detainer request. So, what happens is that these individuals get released back out into the community.”
Luna emphasized that his department is not conducting immigration enforcement.
“We cannot do our jobs without public trust in our community,” Luna said.
The Trump administration has granted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents access to the personal information of 75 million Medicaid recipients, enabling the federal government to verify the citizenship status of all individuals. The database also has home addresses. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he will fight against any attempt to access information on those enrolled in MediCal, which is paid for with state revenue.