Deadly wildfires in Northern California that destroyed or damaged nearly 10,000 homes have set off a contentious debate over something seemingly unrelated: immigration. A day later, federal immigration authorities said they lodged a detainer, or a request to local jailers to keep an inmate behind bars for up to two extra days, against Gonzalez. “The residents of Sonoma County, and the state of California, deserve better than policies that expose them to avoidable dangers,” Homan said in a statement. Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation that limits who can be held, questioned and transferred at the request of federal immigration authorities. Sonoma County is holding community meetings on the process for getting state and federal aid to clean ash and debris, Alonso said.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 20, 2017 03:42 UTC