SANTA CLARA COUNTY (KRON) — Santa Clara County’s long-standing policy of not cooperating with federal immigration authorities is under review.

Right now Santa Clara County has a policy where it does not notify federal immigration authorities or ICE, when an undocumented immigrant is released from the county jail.

Now there is a call to amend that policy in the wake of a murder allegedly committed by an undocumented immigrant released from the county jail.

Among the 150 or so people to address supervisors on Tuesday, a clear majority urged the board to leave well enough alone.

But others called for changing the county’s sanctuary policy in the name of public safety.

Supervisors Corteze and Wasserman have proposed a review that will consider loosening restrictions on cooperating with ice regarding the release from jail of undocumented immigrants convicted of violent crimes.

“The specific and targeted change I have suggested will achieve what I believe most residents would want and that is to help keep previously convicted undocumented individuals violent felonies off our streets,” said Mike Wasserman.

The debate and coming review was sparked by the recent murder of 59-year-old Bambi Larson, allegedly by 24-year-old Carlos Arevalo-Carranza, a convicted felon and undocumented immigrant released from jail despite several detainer requests from ICE.

“Cooperation provides for a reasonably timed notification of an inmate’s scheduled date and time of release. The only thing we will be doing is sending basic information,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen.

Limited cooperation with ICE has the support of Rosen and San Jose Police.

But immigrant advocates believe that changing the policy will enable ice to target undocumented immigrants without criminal convictions.

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