Public speakers press Board of Supervisors to end ICE transfers; sheriff defends transfers as public‑safety tool

The Orange County Board of Supervisors held its annual Truth Act public forum on March 25, 2025, to review 2024 data on transfers from county custody to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Seventeen members of the public urged the board to stop all ICE transfers, citing fear in immigrant communities and asking for better transparency and services for people released from custody.

Supporters of an end to transfers — including representatives from Latino Health Access, Resilience Orange County and the Orange County Rapid Response Network — described heightened fear, family separations, and a chilling effect on reporting crimes. “We strongly urge you to take a stand against this practice and put an end to ICE transfer in our county,” Anna Charco of Latino Health Access told supervisors, citing a reported “1,200% increase in ICE transfer by the Orange County Sheriff’s [Department] from 02/2022 to 02/2023.”

The forum included multiple personal accounts of families avoiding work, school and normal daily activities because of immigration enforcement activity. Speakers…