FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, OCTOBER 21, 2026, LOS ANGELES, CA–– Today, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) sent an open letter to the sheriffs of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Imperial, and Kern Counties. AJSOCAL’s Director of Litigation, Sean F. Bigley, asks each sheriff to publicly commit to and implement a set of protections by October 24, 2026, when vote centers open in most of these counties, ahead of the November 3 General Election. These commitments are not only rooted in legal requirements, but are also essential to protecting voters from intimidation, preventing unlawful entanglement with immigration enforcement, and ensuring all eligible voters can participate in our elections free from fear.
AJSOCAL is asking each sheriff to commit to the following:
- Prioritize the safety of voters, election workers, and residents during early voting and on Election Day.
- Decline requests for participation in or support for federal civil immigration enforcement operations at or near voting locations, including requests for force protection, perimeter security, crowd control, or other operational assistance.
- Instruct deputies that federal credentials do not expand county authority or relieve county officers of their own duties under California law.
- Report suspected, planned, or actual violations of election protections to the Secretary of State and Attorney General, and notify the Registrar of Voters and County Counsel of federal operations affecting voting locations.
- Respond promptly to Public Records Act requests about election security, voter safety, and interagency coordination.
- Communicate their policy in writing to DHS, ICE, CBP, and other federal agencies operating in their county.
Our goal is to ensure every eligible voter in Southern California reaches the ballot box safely. Voters need to be able to travel to their voting location and cast their ballots without fear of immigration enforcement or harassment.
AJSOCAL states in the letter, “The public should not have to wait for an incident at or near a voting location to learn whether county deputies will be protecting voters or helping facilitate a federal immigration operation. That answer should be clear before voting begins. The residents of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Imperial, and Kern Counties elected each of you for a term and for an object. The object is their peace. Federal immigration agencies answer to the federal government. You answer to the people of your county.”
AJSOCAL has asked for a written response from each sheriff by October 24, 2026, and welcomes the opportunity to discuss these requests with sheriffs or their staff.
Read the full open letter here: https://bit.ly/3W109ZN
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Hanna Chea, hchea@ajsocal.org, 213.241.0255
Liza Ameen, lameen@ajsocal.org, 213.241.0258
