Sacramento Immigration Coalition, Allies to File Complaint Against the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for Illegally Handing Local Father to ICE for Deportation
SACRAMENTO, CA – On Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 12:30pm, the Sacramento Immigration Coalition (SIC) and allies will host a press conference to file a complaint against the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department in support of Enrique Nambo, a Sacramento father who was illegally transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department.
Enrique Nambo is currently in immigration detention and facing deportation after Sacramento sheriff’s deputies transferred him to ICE custody on Aug. 7, 2019, in violation of the California Values Act.
WHAT: Press conference in support of Enrique Nambo and to file a complaint with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for illegally transferring him into I.C.E. custody.
- Emi MacLean, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender and Enrique Nambo’s attorney
- Phil Courey, owner of Opa! Opa! restaurant where Nambo worked
- Maria Aguilera, friend of Nambo who arrived at the Sacramento jail to pick him up
- Maria, mother of Nambo’s young daughter
- Dr. Rhonda Rios Kravitz with the Sacramento Immigration Coalition; filing a complaint against Sacramento County and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for violations of state law
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, 711 G St., Sacramento, CA 95814
STATEMENTS:
Janeth Rodriguez, chair of SIC, said in a statement:
“We are gravely concerned about the violations of individuals’ civil rights in Sacramento County as it pertains to SB54. We will continue to hold the Sheriff and the County accountable when we see outright violations of the law. The Sacramento Immigration Coalition in conjunction with other organizations will continue to stand for transparency and accountability to the public and to the rights of immigrants in our region.”
Emi MacLean, Deputy Public Defender at the San Francisco Office of the Public Defender and attorney for Nambo, said:
“Enrique Nambo is a longtime Sacramento resident and father of a 5-year-old daughter who is the light of his life. He should be home with his daughter, and not sitting in immigration detention hours away.”
Enrique Nambo said from Mesa Verde Detention Center:
“I have been detained for four months already after Sacramento Sheriff deputies turned me over to ICE. It is unbearable, except that I am fighting so that I can be reunited with my daughter. I am so grateful for the support of so many people—including everyone who is speaking out today.”
BACKGROUND:
Enrique Nambo is a father, talented chef, hard worker and, for more than 15 years, has been a dedicated member of his community. And now he is in immigration custody, far from his family, and facing the threat of deportation and family separation. He has been detained for nearly three months and needs to be reunited with his daughter.
Nambo was arrested this summer for a DUI, and was due to serve four days at a Sacramento County jail (Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove).
However, instead of being released to his family and friends after serving his short sentence, he was transferred by local officials directly from the jail to ICE custody. His friend Maria Aguilera was waiting at the jail to bring Nambo home; little did she know that jail officials were in the back handing him over to ICE agents.
Under the California Values Act (Senate Bill 54), law enforcement officials in California are prohibited from transferring people to ICE except in very limited circumstances. Yet, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department continues to violate this law, sending our community members into the hands of ICE.
In late October, an immigration judge refused to release Enrique, asserting incorrectly that the law does not allow him to be released. Enrique is not a danger to the community and should be home with his daughter.
He must now return to court to seek both release and an opportunity to remain in the United States with his family.
A DUI should not mean permanent family separation. Jails should not be transferring our community members to ICE for deportation.
Enrique’s case is so important because he should be home with his daughter and it illustrates the heartbreaking impacts of this nation’s immigration policies that tear families apart. But it is also important because Sacramento law enforcement officials should not be transferring people to ICE custody.
#
The Sacramento Immigration Coalition is a network of individual organizations that meet to strategize and support efforts for Health Care for All, DREAMERS, drivers’ licenses for the undocumented, TRUST Act, etc. SIC wants to push for a pathway for the 12 million immigrants in the U.S. that find themselves without documentation.
The mission of the San Francisco Public Defender’s office is to protect and defend the rights of our indigent clients, through effective, vigorous, compassionate, and creative legal advocacy.
