Sheriff tells supervisors 63 jail-to-ICE transfers in 2025; advocates urge limiting cooperation under SB 54

Sheriff Sononi told the Fresno County Board of Supervisors on May 19 that the county jail recorded 27,164 bookings in 2025, received 634 ICE detainers or holds and transferred 63 people to federal immigration authorities during the year. The sheriff said the transfers were carried out in compliance with California's SB 54 (the Truth Act) and consisted largely of people charged with violent and felony offenses.

"These individuals are all dangerous, violent, and involved in felonious criminal activity," the sheriff said, summarizing the department's review of the 63 transfers and noting the top categories included false imprisonment with violence, felony domestic violence and felony burglary. The sheriff also reported zero ICE interviews conducted in county facilities in 2025 and described regional law-enforcement partnerships that focus on public-safety investigations.

Community organizers who spoke during the Truth Act public forum urged the board to move beyond minimum compliance and adopt local safeguards that would further limit voluntary cooperation with ICE. Jessica Flores, a community organizer, said fear of immigration consequences is deterring victims and witnesses from reporting crimes and called for the county to "stop voluntary cooperation with ICE and to prioritize transparency, accountability, and the safety of all community members in Fresno County."

Another commenter recommended prohibiting ICE from using county-owned property as staging areas or waiting in jail parking lots during enforcement actions, saying such practices "signal to the public that local government is participating in immigration enforcement." Advocates urged a goal of zero transfers whenever permissible under state law.

Sheriff Sononi responded that some local partnerships with federal agencies are task-force arrangements aimed at child-exploitation and other public-safety investigations and said the department's practice in the reported year was consistent with SB 54. "That is the law," he said, adding that his focus was public safety and ensuring victims come forward.

Board members thanked the speakers and the sheriff for the presentation. One supervisor noted the decline from 102 transfers in 2024 to 63 in 2025, a reduction the sheriff characterized as a three-year historical overview. The public forum closed after several residents and advocates urged stronger transparency and limits on voluntary cooperation.

No formal action was required; the item was a public forum and a staff report required by statute.