Shasta won't be sanctuary county, supervisors say turning their attention to immigration

Sounding the alarm that asylum seekers and unauthorized immigrants from the California-Mexican border are coming to Shasta County, District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye brought a resolution that essentially says Shasta will not be a sanctuary county.

What ensued Tuesday during the Board of Supervisors meeting was more than an hour of sometimes uncivil discourse that at times had audience members yelling at each other to keep quiet.

The resolution, which passed 3-0 with Supervisor Tim Garman abstaining, acknowledges the authority to regulate immigration lies with the federal government. Supervisor Mary Rickert was not in attendance.

Moreover, County Counsel Joseph Larmour, addressing a question from Garman, said the county does not have the right to transport asylum seekers or immigrants out of the county if someone drops them off here, noting that it violates federal law.

Shasta County retired Public Defender Jeff Gorder said the resolution is another example of the board majority creating problems that don’t exist.

“The abandonment of asylum seekers and noncitizen migrants. Is this a problem in Shasta County? I mean, this reminds me of you guys bringing up the voting machines. That wasn’t a problem, but you made it a problem. Carrying guns in county buildings. Not a problem, but you made it a problem,” Gorder said.

Crye argued it was important for the county to take a stance and called the resolution a "compassionate" solution.

“I think the most compassionate thing we can do is find an avenue to get those individuals to a place where they can get help,” Crye said.

Crye said he worked on the resolution after hearing about Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson’s two-day border security training last November at the California-Mexican border. The training was hosted by the California State Sheriff’s Association.

Before the public comment period, Johnson gave a presentation on what he saw on the border, at times painting a grim picture. He said it’s his job to protect residents and he has talked to federal agents who have told him, “The threat to America is greater today than it was right before 911 and it is because of our open-border policy.”

Crye, and Supervisors Patrick Jones and Chris Kelstrom voted for the resolution.

Garman said he could not take a position because he wanted to ask Johnson some questions, such as whether there is a crime problem in connection with illegal immigration in Shasta County. Johnson had left the meeting after his presentation.

Garman, too, is concerned the resolution, while symbolic, could bring unwanted attention to Shasta County. He spoke of maybe the federal authorities dropping off asylum seekers in the county.

He also asked Larmour if the county could be sued. The counsel said he could not say because he doesn’t have a “crystal ball.”

Meanwhile, Trent Copland, a retired language development specialist for the Shasta Union High School District, said he worked with immigrant students for some 30 years.

“I listened to Sheriff Johnson’s presentation, and he presented statistics of San Ysidro, and he presented murder rates in Tijuana. Redding is not San Ysidro. Shasta County is not Tijuana and the one thing he didn’t mention, and I will ask any one of you board members, what is the crime rate of the undocumented immigrant population of Shasta County? You don’t know. Sheriff maybe you can present that statistic for us,” Copland said.

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Dana Silberstein said this is a complex topic that deserves more time to discuss.

“I would urge you to adopt a campaign … and educate the public. The sheriff needs to give this presentation in more places than this. This community will react very emotionally to this in every regard, and it seems to me the most sensible thing we can do is educate us all. What is the situation really?” she said.

Some who spoke in support of the resolution blamed the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border on Democrats.

Bruce Russell called the border crisis an “intentional act by those in charge of immigration.”

“Clearly the Constitution is being violated as this is an invasion,” he said.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta passes non-sanctuary county resolution after sheriff's talk