Staged Immigration Raid Film Scene Prompts Warning

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Police are warning residents to film shoot with scenes that appear to be a federal immigration enforcement operation, but are not.

The activity is part of an authorized film production, not a law enforcement action.

Actors dressed as immigration agents will be filming scenes on Thursday that could easily be mistaken for the real thing.

To reduce confusion, Santa Rosa city officials and police sent out public notices in both English and Spanish this week explaining that the operation is fictional.

Drivers and pedestrians should also expect temporary traffic controls and short-term road closures near the filming area, although city officials have not disclosed the exact location or filming schedule.

The scenes are being shot for The Silence We Flee, an independent feature film written and directed by Santa Rosa filmmaker Hassan Mageye.

The story centers on Naomi, a young woman who escapes violence in Africa and seeks asylum in the United States, only to face the challenges of navigating the American immigration system while coping with the trauma she left behind. Actress Nisha Kalema portrays the lead role, according to IMDb.

Production has been underway across Northern California for several months, with filming completed in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, and Lake County. Future scenes are planned in Uganda to depict Naomi's life before fleeing her homeland.

Thursday night's downtown sequence is the fourth phase of production, according to reports. The street scenes are expected to take less than five hours to complete.

Officials said bilingual signs identifying the area as an active movie set will be posted throughout the filming zone. The production company must also provide private security and traffic control personnel as part of its permit requirements.

Mageye, who was born in Uganda and now lives in Santa Rosa, previously directed the 2025 drama Kimote, Uganda's official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.

Santa Rosa has long attracted filmmakers. Alfred Hitchcock shot scenes for Shadow of a Doubt downtown in 1942. The historic Railroad Square appeared in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 starring Steve Martin, while the Flamingo Resort was featured in Bandits. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World brought Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, and Jonathan Winters to Sonoma County Airport, according to the city's arts and culture department.

Santa Rosa Junior College has appeared in Peggy Sue Got Married, Inventing the Abbotts, Mumford, and Phenomenon, with the latter also filming at the Wagon Wheel bar alongside stars John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Forest Whitaker, and Kyra Sedgwick.

Santa Rosa regularly hosts new commercial film and television productions, all of which require city permits when public streets or other city property are used.

But the advisory comes amid continuing public concern over immigration enforcement. City officials have previously said that California law and Santa Rosa Police Department policy restrict the use of local resources for federal immigration enforcement.

Earlier this year, the Santa Rosa City Council also urged Congress to strengthen transparency and accountability for federal immigration agencies.