Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has vowed to uphold the laws of the land, especially those in the U.S. Constitution. So why is he saying that the protections guaranteed by the Constitution don't apply to all residents of L.A. County?

On May 12th, Baca told a radio interviewer that he was “basically correct” when asked if he believed that people here without proper documentation “are not to subject to the kinds of civil rights protections that US Citizens are.”

This is not only outrageous and incorrect, it is dangerous. As one of Los Angeles’ chief law enforcement officers, Sheriff Baca sends the destructive message that he and his officers are not protecting the rights of all Angelenos.

The U.S. Constitution makes no distinction between persons in the U.S. with proper documentation and those without. In fact, the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution apply to all persons, regardless of their race, religion, sex, national origin, or immigration status.

We need to tell Sheriff Baca that no law enforcement officer should be allowed to undermine our basic civil liberties. Sign the petition to demand that Sheriff Baca immediately correct his dangerous statements, which would deny Constitutionally-guaranteed rights to L.A. residents.

Let's remind Sheriff Baca his job is to uphold the law for all his county’s inhabitants!