Lawsuit against Marin sheriff is very troubling

I was appalled at the article published in the Marin IJ on Oct. 19 with the headline “Marin lawsuit: Sheriff abusing license plate data.” With sheer brazenness, the ICE Out of Marin group and the American Civil Liberties Union have gone too far in suing the Marin County sheriff for doing his job.

They claim he is acting illegally in posting license plate data so that out-of-state agencies may use it to locate and deport illegal immigrants. But what their lawsuit failed to state is that this “illegality” is only contrary to California state law and not contrary to federal law.

Radical residents have been working for years to undermine federal immigration enforcement by any means they can. This includes having the state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, pass a law declaring California to be a “sanctuary state” for immigrants.

With good intentions, but weak strategic thinking, radicals make our law enforcement systems weaker with each passing year. We need law enforcement systems that are stronger, not weaker. We need more cooperation, not less, between state and federal law enforcement agencies.

The lawsuit states that California’s Senate Bill 34 “prohibits the sharing and transferring of (license plate) information with any agencies other than in-state agencies.” This provision of state law must be revoked. It is harmful to society and plays perfectly into the hands of criminals of all kinds.

Regarding continuous, massive illegal immigration, can we return to common sense and basic truth telling? Radicals have abandoned the allimportant, essential distinction between legal immigration and illegal immigration. They have abandoned the principle of law when it comes to immigration law. Abandoning the principle of law promotes the tribalism and divisiveness in America that we all say we are opposed to.

— Kenneth Kelzer, Novato