Residents at Ventura County ‘Truth’ forum urge end to sheriff’s voluntary cooperation with ICE

Dozens of residents urged the Ventura County Board of Supervisors on the night of the county’s annual “Truth” forum to end the sheriff’s voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying transfers and notifications to federal immigration authorities break up families and erode public trust.

The sheriff, who spoke at the start of the forum, framed his cooperation as narrowly targeted at “the worst offenders” and repeatedly emphasized that decisions to notify or transfer people to ICE are his to make. In Spanish he said, “es mi decisión,” and later told the board he would continue to contact ICE in cases he deems appropriate. Ron Miller, who identified himself as the chief responsible for probation supervision, told the forum that the probation agency reported no juvenile transfers to federal immigration authorities in 2024 and that it does not participate in community immigration enforcement.

Why it matters: Public trust in local law enforcement affects whether immigrant…