Nine times every week last year, on average, federal immigration officials requested information about people held in the Sonoma County jail, the Sheriff’s Office has reported at an annual hearing that provides public transparency about its interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The answers ICE received were dictated by California law, which prohibits local law enforcement from engaging in immigration enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office does not deport individuals, ask about immigration status, or participate in federal immigration operations. Responses to ICE questions are allowed only under specific circumstances – and must be disclosed to the public.
In 2024, ICE submitted 484 requests asking to be notified when individuals in Sonoma County custody were due for release. Only 64 of those cases met the legal guidelines set forth by California’s Values Act. The 2017 law allows the Sheriff’s Office to provide ICE with release dates of individuals convicted of a felony, charged with a serious or violent felony, or convicted of a misdemeanor that could be charged as a felony…