Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County has stated that his department will not comply with demands from the Trump administration for personal information about immigrant inmates from local jails. He emphasized that any requests for inmate transfers would require a judicial warrant signed by a judge to proceed.
During a news conference on Thursday, Luna reiterated that Los Angeles County’s sanctuary policies restrict his agency’s cooperation with federal immigration officials unless a valid warrant is presented. To date, his department has transferred only 20 individuals under lawful circumstances.
Luna explained, “These warrants are an effective and peaceful vehicle in transferring individuals who have committed violent or serious crimes.”
The sheriff revealed that in May, eight inmates were transferred from the LA County jail system to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. In June, 12 additional inmates were handed over to federal officials, with all of them having been convicted of serious crimes such as attempted murder and rape.
Despite receiving a substantial number of civil detainer requests – 995 from ICE in 2024 – Luna confirmed that his agency has not complied with any of these requests.
His comments came shortly after the U.S. Department of Justice urged Los Angeles and other major counties in California to provide detailed data about immigrant inmates. The federal government expressed particular interest in the types of crimes committed by these individuals and their expected release times.
In a statement, the Trump administration claimed, “Far too many of those illegal aliens have gone on to commit crimes on American soil, including rapes, murders, and other violent crimes. Today’s data requests are designed to assist federal immigration authorities in prioritizing the removal of illegal aliens who committed crimes after illegally entering the United States.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi expressed her eagerness to work collaboratively with sheriffs in California, indicating that the Department of Justice hopes the sheriffs will willingly provide the requested data.
The Justice Department, however, has indicated it may resort to using subpoenas and other legal means to obtain the information.
Sheriff Luna pointed out that his agency has not seen the request letter from the federal government and indicated that complying would necessitate significant changes to existing systems. He remarked, “Because we don’t ask somebody if they are here legally or illegally, it would be impossible for us to provide a list like that unless we redo our systems one way or another.”
Luna clarified that when immigration officials do possess a valid warrant for an inmate, the transfer process mirrors standard release procedures. The inmate receives a pass to the release area, after which they are picked up by the relevant law enforcement agency.
Despite claims from the Trump administration that immigration enforcement operations target undocumented individuals with significant criminal histories, data indicates a different trend. NBC News reported that between October 2024 and June 2025, out of 185,000 people arrested by federal agents, only 2.2% had convictions for serious crimes like murder and sexual assaults, and 42% had no prior criminal history in the United States.
In recent weeks, the Los Angeles area has seen a remarkable upsurge in undocumented immigrant detentions. Federal agents arrested nearly 2,800 undocumented immigrants last month as ICE operations intensified on June 6.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, 2,792 undocumented immigrants were apprehended in the LA area, with the highest number of arrests occurring between June 6 and June 22. The first two weeks of this intensified enforcement resulted in 1,618 arrests, while an additional 1,174 individuals were taken into federal custody during the first week of July.
These figures starkly contrast with the previous month of May, which saw over 850 arrests, highlighting a significant escalation in immigration enforcement activities.
image source from：nbclosangeles
