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Residents urge end to ICE transfers at Orange County Truth Act forum; sheriff says department followed state law
Summary
At a Truth Act public hearing March 26, dozens of residents and advocacy groups urged the Orange County Board of Supervisors to end voluntary transfers of county jail inmates to ICE custody. Sheriff Don Barnes presented data and said OCSD complied with SB 54 and that ICE decides whom to pick up.
Dozens of residents, immigrant‑rights advocates and community groups urged the Orange County Board of Supervisors to end the sheriff’s department’s transfers of local jail inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a statutorily required Truth Act forum on March 26.
"I'm just tired of you of the sheriff, handing over all of our immigrant and refugee families to ICE legally and illegally," Sandra, a Rapid Response Network organizer, told the board, saying transfers separate families and erode trust in local law enforcement.
The forum — required by state law to provide public reporting on county interactions with federal immigration authorities — brought a steady stream of speakers who said transfer numbers spiked in 2023, disproportionately affecting Mexican and Vietnamese residents and leaving monolingual community members especially vulnerable.
Sheriff Don Barnes responded with figures from the department’s report.…
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