Sheriff: Nevada County recorded no ICE transfers in 2025; community urges stronger local protections
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Summary
Captain Bob Jacobs and Lieutenant Jay Now reported the county’s Truth Act statistics: 2,916 bookings in 2025, 18 had ICE involvement and none resulted in an ICE transfer; public commenters praised the sheriff's noncompliance and urged the board to adopt firmer local protections for immigrant families.
Captain Bob Jacobs, the jail commander, and Operations Lieutenant Jay Now presented the Nevada County Sheriff's Office Truth Act annual report, explaining the agency's policy and 2025 statistics and answering board questions.
Lieutenant Now summarized legal requirements (Government Code sections 7282.5, 7283, 7283.1 and 7283.2) and described department policy 502 governing cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He said ICE interview consent forms are voluntary, available in multiple languages, and that the department will not hold people past their release dates for ICE if they do not meet the statutory criteria.
On 2025 data the Sheriff's Office reported a combined 2,916 bookings across the county jails. Of those, 18 bookings involved some ICE interest (0.6 percent of bookings); Of those 18, 17 were local bookings on local charges and one was booked on another county's warrant. All 18 were released (17 to the public and 1 taken by another county), and the combined custody days totaled 89 with an average stay of five days.
Lieutenant Now said both jails did not honor ICE hold notifications and did not provide ICE with non-publicly available data such as release dates or home addresses. "We will not hold an incarcerated person past their release date," he said.
Public comment following the report included multiple speakers who praised the sheriff's noncompliance and urged the board to adopt a formal, county-level policy prohibiting cooperation with ICE holds. Zach, a resident who identified himself during public comment, said the county could legally adopt stronger protections and urged the board to do so. Others asked how the department would handle field cooperation, warrants and data sharing; Captain Jacobs and Lieutenant Now said those questions may be outside the annual report's scope but offered to engage with residents and provide contacts for follow-up.
The board voted to accept the Truth Act annual report by roll call (District 5 absent). Several supervisors thanked the sheriff's office for transparency and invited further community engagement on policy questions.
