The wildfires spread first. Then came the rumors.
Early this week, Sheriff Rob Giordano of Sonoma County was forced to debunk false reports spread by conservative media that his office had arrested an undocumented immigrant for starting the deadly California wildfires.
And that was before Immigration and Customs Enforcement got involved.
The federal agency’s acting director, Thomas D. Homan, on Wednesday accused Sheriff Giordano’s office of refusing to respond to federal requests about the immigrant, Jesus Fabian Gonzalez, leaving the community “vulnerable to dangerous individuals and preventable crimes.”
That, Sheriff Giordano said, was “inaccurate,” “inflammatory,” and was a distraction for local authorities responding to a major natural disaster.
“Frankly, I didn’t want a public rhetoric war with the federal government,” he said on Friday. “What I want to do is put this community back together.”
The dispute stems from the arrest on Sunday of Mr. Gonzalez, who had started a fire in the local park where he often sleeps, Mr. Giordano said.
The fire, which Mr. Gonzalez said he started to keep warm, threatened no structures and was quickly put out, the sheriff said.
That arrest was reported locally, and rumors began to fly.
The conservative media outlet Breitbart reported on Tuesday that Mr. Gonzalez was arrested “on suspicion of arson in Wine Country fires that have killed at least 40 residents.” That same day, Sheriff Giordano felt compelled to publicly deny the connection, saying there was no indication The wildfires spread first. Then came the rumors.
Early this week, Sheriff Rob Giordano of Sonoma County was forced to debunk false reports spread by conservative media that his office had arrested an undocumented immigrant for starting the deadly California wildfires.
And that was before Immigration and Customs Enforcement got involved.
The federal agency’s acting director, Thomas D. Homan, on Wednesday accused Sheriff Giordano’s office of refusing to respond to federal requests about the immigrant, Jesus Fabian Gonzalez, leaving the community “vulnerable to dangerous individuals and preventable crimes.”
That, Sheriff Giordano said, was “inaccurate,” “inflammatory,” and was a distraction for local authorities responding to a major natural disaster.
“Frankly, I didn’t want a public rhetoric war with the federal government,” he said on Friday. “What I want to do is put this community back together.”
The dispute stems from the arrest on Sunday of Mr. Gonzalez, who had started a fire in the local park where he often sleeps, Mr. Giordano said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/us/wildfire-immigrant-breitbart.htmlhttp://patch.com/california/sonomavalley/sonoma-co-arson-arrest-sheriff-responds-ices-request-hold-suspect