Alameda County has demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop conducting civil immigration enforcement on Santa Rita Jail property in Dublin, California, following reported confrontations involving federal agents. Interim County Counsel Andrea Weddle sent a cease-and-desist letter Monday to Julio Hernandez, ICE's acting San Francisco field office director, invoking the county's policy restricting immigration enforcement on its property.
Weddle said jail command staff had repeatedly directed ICE personnel to leave and stop civil enforcement activities at the jail and in its parking lot, but agents had disregarded those instructions. Her letter described a Nov. 1 incident in which an agent pursued a person from the parking lot into the lobby and forcibly detained him. On Nov. 8, she wrote, two agents became involved in a physical confrontation with members of the public inside the lobby.
Cellphone footage supplied by a community member and verified by KTVU on Tuesday showed masked ICE agents in the jail lobby. One wore a face covering patterned with an American flag, while another wore a black covering over much of his head and face. Both had vests identifying them as ICE personnel. Alongside the county's letter, Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez posted a notice limiting lobby access to people with appointments or official business.
The county adopted its ICE-free zone policy in February. Weddle said it expressly bars county property, including buildings, garages and parking lots, from serving as staging areas or operational bases for immigration detentions. Although the county recognizes the lawful execution of judicial warrants and criminal law enforcement, she said those exceptions do not broadly authorize civil immigration operations on county property.
Weddle also raised concerns about safety in the busy lobby and parking lot, where visitors and armed deputies are present. She said deputies need to distinguish authorized jail activity from outside operations. Confrontations involving ICE agents could create confusion and a risk of injury, she warned, and might cause deputies to intervene if they perceive a security threat.
ICE representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the agency would comply. When Alameda County introduced its policy in February, the Department of Homeland Security challenged its legal basis, arguing that the Constitution establishes federal responsibility for immigration enforcement. If ICE disregards the demand, county supervisors would need to decide whether to file suit.
David Levine, a law professor at UC College of the Law San Francisco, told KTVU he believed the county should prevail in a legal dispute because the matter concerns county property. He identified a valid judicial search warrant authorizing an agent's presence inside the jail as an exception.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee supported the county's action Tuesday, saying Oakland was coordinating closely with county officials on its response. Bob Britton, a member of the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in Our Jail's steering committee and an immigration rapid responder, also welcomed the letter and said he was surprised by the strength of the county's position.
Other California jurisdictions have taken related steps. Monterey County recently sent ICE and the Department of Homeland Security a similar letter. On Oct. 30, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office restricted access to Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas to official business and installed cones to establish single entry and exit points.
