Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Immigration Detention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents say sheriff shared release times with ICE; callers urge county action
Summary
Public commenters told the Santa Clara County Public Safety and Justice Committee that sheriff's staff have been providing exact jail release times to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, facilitating detentions at county facilities. Speakers called for county transparency and enforcement of the county ICE detainer policy.
Public commenters at the Santa Clara County Public Safety and Justice Committee meeting on Aug. 14 said sheriff's personnel have been sharing exact jail release times with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, enabling detentions at county facilities.
The speakers said community organizations gathered more than 40 signatures on a letter urging the county to stop what they described as the jails becoming "ICE traps." "The sheriff's office states that ICE is getting release dates from publicly accessed websites," one speaker said, adding that jail staff then supplied the exact hour of release to ICE so agents could be present to detain people immediately upon discharge.
Why it matters: The county's ICE detainer policy, speakers said, prohibits county staff from expending county time or resources to respond to ICE inquiries about incarcerated individuals' status or release dates. Speakers argued that if staff are sharing release information, it would be a violation of that policy and place people leaving custody at risk of immigration detention.
Maddie, who read the organizations' letter, described four confirmed detentions facilitated at the Elmwood facility over a three-week period and urged county transparency. "Stop Santa Clara County — stop Santa Clara jails from becoming ICE traps," she said.
Wes Fukuyama, a jail chaplain who identified himself as a member of the San Jose Nikkei Resisters and of Neighbors Not Enemies, said he was "worried about the fact that this is a sanctuary county," and asked whether the sheriff was "illegally letting ICE come in to extricate who they think should be brought out." He recalled historic examples of mass incarceration and said the county should not ease outside access to people being released from custody.
The committee did not take formal action on the comments during the meeting. The chair closed public comment and proceeded to agenda items. The committee did not provide a staff response on the record during this session, and speakers requested that the sheriff be asked to provide updated numbers of ICE pickups at county facilities.
Community context: Speakers said the community has sent a letter to the full Board of Supervisors and requested updated information, including an updated tally of confirmed ICE detentions at county jails.
