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As a young immigration lawyer in California’s Central Valley, Matthew Barragan cut his teeth defending the rights of indigent workers facing deportation.Now a decade and a half later, he’s responsible for civilian oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department at a time when concerns are running high about stepped-up federal immigration enforcement.Barragan, 51, was appointed last month as the LAPD’s inspector general.His office, which is independent of the 8,700-officer department, monitors misconduct complaints and conducts internal reviews of police shootings, along with audits and studies at the Police Commission’s request.Activists have warned that sensitive data gathered by the LAPD’s license plate readers and other technologies could be accessed by the Trump administration, citing Chief Jim McDonnell’s past willingness to engage with immigration agents as further cause for concern.
California Privacy advocates pointed to LAPD policies that allow information-sharing with federal immigration authorities as cause for concern in the Trump era.On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order that the White House said will “unleash America’s law enforcement to pursue criminals” and direct federal agencies to publish a list of “sanctuary cities” that do not cooperate with immigration agents.McDonnell, who served as L.A.County sheriff during Trump’s first term, has said he handed over only the most dangerous jailed criminals to federal authorities for deportation, in keeping with the laws.
And he has pledged to honor long-standing LAPD rules that shield sensitive information about witnesses and crime victims, along with a policy that prohibits arrests solely for immigration reasons.The department’s interfacing with federal authorities will be among the many issues that the Police Commission is counting on Barragan to help monitor.A relative unknown in LAPD circles before his hiring, Barragan was picked by the five-member civilian pan...