{"id":506377,"date":"2026-10-24T09:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T09:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/506377\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T09:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T09:04:14","slug":"guerra-supporters-push-back-on-cofers-immigration-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/506377\/","title":{"rendered":"Guerra supporters push back on Cofer\u2019s immigration charges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Immigrant<\/p>\n

Immigrant advocate Juanita Ontiveros speaks at Southside Park in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. She joined Latino community leaders and Eric Guerra supporters criticizing opponent Flojaune Cofer\u2019s social media posts about Guerra\u2019s immigration record.<\/p>\n

REN\u00c9E C. BYER<\/p>\n

rbyer@sacbee.com<\/p>\n

Latino community leaders and supporters of Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra\u2019s bid for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors are criticizing his opponent, Flojaune Cofer, over a social media post<\/a> questioning Guerra\u2019s commitment to resisting federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

The dispute over Guerra\u2019s record is the latest in the battle for the 1st District seat<\/a>, one of the Sacramento region\u2019s most closely watched races in the Nov. 3 election. The exchange comes as the Sacramento region experiences a surge in immigration enforcement actions<\/a> amid reports of a 45-day Trump administration operation targeting immigrants<\/a> in California.<\/p>\n

Cofer\u2019s Tuesday post criticized Guerra over what she described as \u201charmful\u201d decisions that undermined his support for immigrant communities. She pointed specifically to his absence during a City Council vote involving data-sharing agreement<\/a> for a regional intelligence-sharing center and his silence on a contract between the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a community, we can respect Councilmember Guerra\u2019s lived experience and contributions while asking hard questions about his record, alliances, and leadership,\u201d Cofer wrote in a follow-up post<\/a> Friday.<\/p>\n

The post drew criticism from a group of Latino community leaders, including several Guerra supporters, who gathered for a news conference Friday morning at Sacramento\u2019s Southside Park. They defended the councilmember, a former farmworker whose family was deported from the United States in 1986, against Cofer\u2019s questions about his record on immigration.<\/p>\n

\"Latino Latino community leaders and Eric Guerra supporters gather at Sacramento\u2019s Southside Park on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, to criticize social media posts by Flojaune Cofer, Guerra\u2019s opponent in the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 1 race. REN\u00c9E C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

The speakers accused Cofer of exploiting fears surrounding immigration enforcement and misleading Latino voters about Guerra\u2019s record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I saw was not only disrespectful and misleading toward Eric \u2014 someone who has been a mentor for so many of us \u2014 it was also disrespectful to me, and to the many constituents who actively advocate for our communities every single day,\u201d community advocate Carissa Gutierrez said.<\/p>\n

Several speakers who have worked with Guerra defended his advocacy for immigrant families.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis commitment to immigrant families began long before he entered elected office, and is rooted in his lived experience and 10 years of elected public service,\u201d said Jim Gonzalez, reading a statement from the Latino Caucus of California Counties. \u201cTo reduce that lifetime of advocacy and sacrifice to a political talking point is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statement signed by more than two dozen community leaders also pointed to Guerra\u2019s work on immigrant protections, including his role in Sacramento\u2019s Safe Haven Task Force and efforts to establish legal assistance for immigrant families. The statement called on Cofer to stop misrepresenting her opponent\u2019s record.<\/p>\n

What did Cofer claim about Guerra\u2019s immigration record?<\/p>\n

In June, the Sacramento City Council voted 5-2 to approve funding for its partnership with a regional intelligence-sharing center, despite strong opposition from local activists concerned that information could reach federal immigration authorities, including ICE. Amid increased reports of ICE activity around Sacramento, immigration advocacy groups are renewing calls for the city to end its involvement with the center.<\/p>\n

Cofer is criticizing Guerra\u2019s absence from the vote and is asking him to publicly state his position on the partnership.<\/p>\n

Guerra was not present for the vote, but addressed the issue during an earlier meeting. He expressed support for some of the center\u2019s objectives, including combating human trafficking and domestic terrorism, but said he wanted more clarity on whether the agreement complied with Senate Bill 54, a 2017 California law limiting local law enforcement cooperation<\/a> with federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n

\"Community Community advocate Carissa Gutierrez speaks at Southside Park on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. She criticized Flojaune Cofer\u2019s social media posts questioning Eric Guerra\u2019s commitment to immigrant communities amid their Sacramento County supervisor race. REN\u00c9E C. BYER rbyer@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Guerra told The Sacramento Bee Friday that he would have voted no on the agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI oppose any legislative action that supports data sharing with ICE,\u201d Guerra said. \u201cCofer attacking me on this is laughable. ICE snatched me up as a kid, taking everything my family had worked for. Why would I want anyone to experience what happened to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonzalez, chair of the Sacramento Latino Economic Council, said Guerra\u2019s office had worked to ensure the city complied with its sanctuary ordinance. He argued that Cofer misrepresented the agreement by suggesting it explicitly authorized cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything he\u2019s done on the city council has protected the sanctuary ordinance and has protected immigrants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cofer has also called on Guerra to address the Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Office\u2019s participation in a Homeland Security Task Force focused on international cartel activity.<\/p>\n

\"Sacramento Sacramento County Board of Supervisors candidates Eric Guerra and Flo Cofer meet with attendees before a candidate forum at the Coloma Center in Sacramento on Thursday, April 9, 2026. The two face off in the Nov. 3 election to replace retiring Supervisor Phil Serna. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n

Cofer and other progressive groups are concerned that the contract\u2019s language does not explicitly bar the Sheriff\u2019s Office from cooperating with ICE, despite the sheriff\u2019s statements that the agreement would not involve immigration enforcement. She has also criticized Guerra for accepting endorsements from Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper and the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs\u2019 Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not willing to let him and his supporters wave this off as petty or dirty politics so that he can let himself off the hook for these votes, especially not when he has corporate PACs supporting him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published October 23, 2026 at 3:28 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Jennah Pendleton<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Jennah Pendleton covers the city of Sacramento for The Sacramento Bee. She previously reported on local schools. Before joining The Bee, she wrote about education and culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. She grew up in Orange County and is a graduate of the University of Oregon.\n <\/p>\n