What Caused the California Wildfires 2017? Death Toll At 42, More Than 10,000 Homes Destroyed
The series of wildfires that have engulfed Northern California this month destroyed about 10,000 homes and took the lives of 42 people. Surprisingly, it has spawned debates on a seemingly unrelated issue, immigration.
Jesus Fabian Gonzalez, a homeless man who has already been deported twice according to immigration officials, told deputies that he produced a fire in Maxwell Farms Park in Sonoma Valley to keep himself warm. He was being detained for suspicion of arson.
Sonoma County officials and the Immigration Customs Enforcement have engaged in ongoing debates over immigration policies ever since a news outlet called Breitbart inflated the story, claimed that the series of wildfires that started earlier this month was caused by the illegal immigrant.
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Rob Giordano, the Sonoma County Sheriff, shot down those claims shortly after the news had spread. He said that there is no evidence suggesting Gonzalez started the string of fires. He also pointed out that they have yet to determine the cause of the wildfires, and that investigation is still ongoing.
That, however, did not stop ICE's acting director Thomas Homan from slamming Sonoma County officials for adhering to sanctuary policies. Such programs, Homan said, make their community vulnerable to dangerous individuals and crimes that can always be prevented.
Giordano released a counter statement describing Homan's statement as inaccurate and damaging to the authorities' relationship with the community.
"ICE attacked the Sheriff's Office in the midst of the largest natural disaster this county has ever experienced," Giordano stated. "ICE's misleading statement stirs fear in some of our community members who are already exhausted and scared."
Sonoma County is one of the many locales across California that have observed sanctuary policies, a symbol of resistance against President Donald Trump's campaign to rid the country of all undocumented citizens.
There are 42 recorded fatalities. But the death toll is expected to rise as authorities continue to assess the areas left devastated by the blazes.
