Pima County has released a plan for how officials will handle ramped-up federal immigration enforcement efforts locally. It comes as the Trump administration rolls back previous guidance that prohibits ICE enforcement activity in public places like schools, churches and hospitals.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to release a memo from County Attorney Laura Conover’s office detailing how local officials can respond to ICE agents.
The memo says county employees should not try to physically stop agents from entering public buildings and instructs them to give agents access in emergency situations, or with a judicial warrant deemed valid.
But, as the memo notes, ICE agents typically carry a different document, called an administrative warrant. It does not show probable cause of a criminal offence or require cooperation in the same way a judicial warrant that is signed by a judge does.
“We must comply with lawful orders and should make all efforts to do so as quickly as practicable, but we must also protect the County and its employees from unauthorized interference with the fulfilment of statutory and other duties and, in the worst case, from fraudulent actors,” the memo read.
Employees are instructed to contact the county attorney with the warrant’s information before taking further action. The attorney’s office says the county may establish further guidance on handling immigration enforcement in the near future.
