Contra Costa Sheriff Defends Limited Information Sharing With ICE

CONTRA COSTA, CA — Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston plans to continue giving federal immigration authorities release information for certain inmates, setting up a clash over how far the county should go in cutting ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Livingston told the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that his office will continue notifying ICE about the release of some inmates despite public demands that the department stop the communication.

“We have an obligation to the community at large to provide public safety services,” Livingston told supervisors.

Livingston said his office limits the notifications to cases where officials believe public safety is at stake, including people accused of serious or repeat crimes.

“The immigrant rights group just talked about immigrants feeling safe,” Livingston told supervisors during the meeting. “I agree with that, but what you need to remember is that many of the victims that are represented by these crimes are themselves immigrants.”

The Sheriff’s Office received 724 ICE requests for notification during 2025 and responded 124 times. Because 32 involved repeat notifications concerning the same person, the responses involved 92 individual people.

Livingston described a process in which his office evaluates an ICE request against state law before deciding whether to provide notification.

“That triggers our process to say, ‘Okay, is this individual — does the offense comport with SB 54 and authorize notification to ICE?’” Livingston said.

The dispute centers on information sharing rather than holding inmates beyond their scheduled release for federal immigration authorities.

Livingston said Contra Costa does not honor ICE detainers and does not keep someone jailed beyond the time they otherwise should be released simply so ICE can take custody.

Instead, the Sheriff’s Office provides ICE advance notice of release dates in qualifying cases. Livingston has said ICE agents are limited to public areas of county facilities.

The issue surfaced Tuesday during the county’s annual TRUTH Act Community Forum, where supervisors reviewed the Sheriff’s Office’s interactions with ICE. The Sheriff’s Office was the only Contra Costa County department that reported providing ICE access during 2025.

The debate drew sharp criticism from people who argue any cooperation with federal immigration authorities damages trust between immigrant communities and local government.

“The community that you swore an oath to protect and serve, then you are complicit in the abuse and violence that has and will plague our community,” a speaker told officials during the Aug. 25 meeting. “Is this the legacy you want to leave behind?”

Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston questioned Livingston about the county’s practice and contrasted it with San Mateo County, whose sheriff made no ICE notifications in 2025.

Supervisor John Gioia also said he and Livingston differ over which crimes should result in ICE notification.

Supervisor Candace Andersen argued that people without legal status who commit serious crimes should not necessarily expect to remain in the United States after completing their sentences.

The debate comes as Contra Costa County considers adopting a broader sanctuary policy.

Other Bay Area counties have already adopted such policies. San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller opposed his county’s sanctuary policy when supervisors approved it in 2023 because he wanted exceptions for people accused of rape, murder, and other violent crimes. Mueller now says having a policy is particularly important.

“When there have been reports of potential ICE activity in an area, children don’t go to school, people don’t go to work, and there is an amount of community trust that we really need to build within our community,” Mueller told KPIX News.

Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson, a former police officer, also called for stronger limits on cooperation with ICE.

“Our community is looking for a stronger response against ICE’s continued encroachment,” Carlson said in a statement. “County dollars should not be spent doing the job of the federal government. As a former police officer of almost thirty years, the safety of our community lies in the trust of local law enforcement.”

The county’s decision also comes ahead of a state deadline requiring local jurisdictions to have a sanctuary policy, or something equivalent, in place by the beginning of 2027.

Livingston, however, indicated that he intends to continue the notification practice even if supervisors want him to stop.

Contra Costa County supervisors are expected to vote on the proposed sanctuary policy Sept. 8.