About 80 people stormed the Santa Clara County Supervisors Chambers Tuesday afternoon, interrupting a meeting for about 15 minutes to speak out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents working more closely with local law enforcement.
"We fear the communities that already distrust police will not call domestic violence cases or other crimes because of fear of deportation," said Liz Gonzalez of Silicon Valley De-Bug.
Some local residents are urging county supervisors to have sheriff's deputies work more with ICE agents after an illegal immigrant, Juan Sanchez, allegedly killed Kate Steinle on San Francisco's Pier 14 this summer.
Steinle's death also became the flash point in a national immigration debate.
"Certainly we are not accepting detainers any longer and we have a close relationship with the supervisors," Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said. "But in the case of a serious and violent offender, we are looking at notifying ICE if they are in this country illegally."
The group of immigrant advocates also headed to the supervisors' 10th floor offices to make sure their voices were heard. Advocates urged supervisors to reject a priority notification program, which they said gives ICE more power to deport undocumented immigrants and break up families.
