Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston announced on Tuesday that his office is canceling its contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house detainees at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond.
Immigration advocates are happy to see the relationship ending but now fear that detainees will be transferred further away from their loved ones.
ICE has 120 days from Tuesday until the contract is formally terminated. The closest ICE detention facility is about 110 miles northeast of Richmond in Marysville, California.
KRON4’s Philippe Djegal spoke with one woman whose husband as been house at the Richmond facility for 10 months.
Anna Tutckaia said moving her husband Alexey could cripple their family.
“I won’t be able to visit him because I have two little kids,” she said. “I don’t have enough funds to go anywhere.”