Alameda County takes aim at ICE with cease-and-desist amid jail incidents

Confrontations at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin have led top county and sheriff's officials to draw the line when it comes to civil immigration enforcement. Let's get to our crime reporter, Henry Lee, who joins us now from our newsroom with more on what the county is telling ICE. Henry? Well, Alex and Heather, Alameda County officials have written a cease and desist letter to ICE saying they are not welcome at the jail or any county facilities for that matter. Now, this comes after a number of incidents at the jail, including one that was caught on video. Video obtained by KTVU shows masked ICE agents in the lobby of Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, run by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. It's a scene that county officials say they've seen before in recent days and don't want repeated. The interim county council has sent a strongly worded cease and desist letter to ICE, asking agents to stay away from the jail and not conduct any civil immigration enforcement there. On the grounds, it's a public safety risk. This sign now sits outside the jail lobby, restricting access to those with appointments or official business. Top sheriff's officials say ICE agents have ignored their calls to leave and refrained from conducting enforcement at the jail and parking lot. According to the sheriff's office, an ICE agent chased someone from the parking lot to the jail lobby on November 1st, and recently two agents got into a physical confrontation. I think the county is on firm ground. It's the same as like, it's essentially a form of sanctuary city of saying we choose not to cooperate. David Levine, professor at UC Law, San Francisco, says the exceptions will be if ICE had a judicial warrant or if there was some previous contractual agreement mandating cooperation. I think it could be enforceable. I mean, the question would be if ICE just said, oh, to heck with you and moved in, then you'd have to go to the trouble of going to court and getting a court order. To get them out. Bob Britton, a longtime critic of the sheriff's office over flock cameras and jail suicides, is giving the agency credit for taking a firm stance against ICE. The feds have to follow the law as well as anyone else. And the property of the county, they can set rules. As they choose. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee supports the county's action. We have our city of refuge status. We're also a sanctuary city and we're working very closely with the county on our response. Without elaborating, Alameda County says it will take appropriate action to protect county-owned property. In the South Bay, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office put up these physical barriers outside its Elmhurst Correctional Facility in Milpitas, where there has been ICE activity in the past. Now, the Alameda County Public Defender's Office has also issued a statement in support for what county council has done, saying they've seen ICE activity at courthouses and at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Now, we reached out to ICE officials today, but have not heard back. But in the past, ICE has told KTVU that ICE-free zones are, quote, legally illiterate. Live in the newsroom, Henry Lee, KTVU, Fox 2 News. All right, well, we will see how federal officials respond. All right, thanks so much, Henry Lee.