Kern County holds Truth Act forum as sheriff reports 19 ICE release-notification requests in 2024

The Kern County Board of Supervisors held its annual Truth Act community forum Tuesday to review 2024 local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to receive public comment.

Chief Deputy Joel Swanson of the Kern County Sheriff's Office opened the sheriff's presentation by saying the office does not enforce federal immigration law and "we are not involved in the enforcement of immigration law, deportations, or immigration sweeps." He described the department's process for ICE requests and said Kern County flagged 19 release-notification requests from ICE in 2024 and reported two transfers to immigration authorities. "In 2024, a total of 28,361 individuals were booked in the Kern County Sheriff's Office jails. During this time, I submitted 19 requests for notification of release," Swanson said in his presentation.

The county's probation director, Frank Herrera, told the board probation received zero ICE hold requests and zero interview requests for youth in 2024; probation did report one request for information on an adult probationer and said no information was provided in response.

Why it matters: The Truth Act (California Government Code section 7283.1) and the California Values Act (SB 54) are intended to limit entanglements between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities so immigrant communities will report crimes and cooperate with police. The forum gave the public a chance to question how that balance is being implemented locally and to request more transparency and limits on county cooperation with ICE.

Community reaction split sharply. Myra Joachin, an ACLU representative, said the office revised its policy to match state law''noting a change from using the term "qualifying charge" to the statute's required term "qualifying conviction" and clarifying that the sheriff's office will not detain people based solely on probable cause for immigration purposes. Joachin urged the county to go beyond the statutory floor: "We do believe firmly that immigration enforcement should be kept separate from any processes within our criminal justice system," she said.

Several speakers called for still stronger limits. Community advocates and immigration attorneys asked the board to reduce information sharing, fund immigration legal services and a local defense fund, and adopt local policies that further restrict county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Maria Sofia Corona of the United Farm Workers Foundation noted the effect on labor and schools: enforcement actions have made some workers and students afraid to report crimes or show up for work and school.

Other members of the public argued the county should cooperate more with ICE to catch people they described as criminals. Commenters such as Charles Shin urged enforcement of laws against open drug use and urban camping. The board heard a wide range of views during more than an hour of public comments.

Sheriff Swanson said ICE interview requests were governed by the Truth Act and that in 2024 the sheriff's office received zero interview requests; the office did, however, record an increase in ICE notification requests compared with 2023 and provided demographic details about the 18 unique individuals who were the subject of notification requests in 2024 (17 Hispanic, 1 Asian; 17 male, 1 female; average age 41; median custody time about 67 days). He also noted that Department of Justice reporting counts transfers by qualifying offense, which can make published totals appear higher than individual-level counts.

The forum closed with the board agreeing to "receive and file" the presentations and PowerPoint reports submitted at the hearing. A procedural motion to receive and file the reports passed unanimously, recorded as "all ayes." The board also said it would continue engagement with community organizations, the sheriff's office and ACLU to pursue clearer public information and cooperation protocols.

What happens next: The Sheriff's Office and county counsel indicated they will continue to refine policies and coordinate with the district attorney and juvenile court where necessary; public advocates asked for follow-up forums, improved data sharing where permissible, and county funding for legal services for residents.