Calif. lawmakers file FOIA demanding info on ICE activities

Lawmakers in California have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to look into the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state, the Huffington Post reported Friday.

According to the report, the request was filed in order to retrieve “information about recent Department of Homeland Security policies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.”

The measure was filed by two Democratic lawmakers, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon and California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, who argue that transparency is crucial to many California residents.

{mosads}“When the safety of Californians is at stake, we must demand greater transparency, with the backing of federal courts if necessary,” the lawmakers said, according to the Huffington Post.

“The lives and physical safety of many thousands of Californians — citizens and immigrants, documented and undocumented — depend upon knowing this information,” they added.

Federal authorities detained and arrested hundreds of people last month after Trump pledged to intensify the fight against illegal immigration.

The state lawmakers, however, maintain that the government has not provided enough information about the new policy.

In particular, DeLeon and Rendon seek to understand the federal government’s policy when it comes to “sensitive” areas such as churches, schools and hospitals.

Some religious leaders in California have also responded to the the change in immigration enforcement by forming an underground network of homes that will shelter families facing deportation. 

According to CNN, the Rapid Response Team network plans to give shelter to hundreds and potentially thousands of undocumented immigrants in Southern California.