Boudreaux says Tulare County will ‘never’ be sanctuary jurisdiction, Homeland Security says it is

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is refuting the claims from the federal Department of Homeland Security stating that the county is a sanctuary jurisdiction.

Tulare County became part of a list published by the Department of Homeland Security that includes more than 500 jurisdictions and is part of the executive order “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens.”

Federal officials say the jurisdictions included in the list are “deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws, endangering American communities.”

However, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says this is not the case in Tulare County; in a statement sent to YourCentralValley.com, he stated the sheriff’s office opposes Senate Bill 54, adding the bill had “prevented us from doing the very thing we took an oath to do, which is to protect the public.”

Senate Bill 54 forbids law enforcement from working with Immigration and Customs Officials, therefore also not allowing us to identify criminals who target our documented and undocumented communities. Those criminals go unreported in fear of retaliation. 

As the Sheriff, I will make sure that the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office continues to obey the law, but also holds those violent and most egregious criminals accountable. Those who meet the requirements will be turned over to Immigration Enforcement Officials. 
Boudreaux

Boudreaux also says he is unsure of the qualifications needed to receive the label of a “sanctuary city,” but adds that “I can’t assure the people of Tulare County that we are not, and never will be, one.”