SANTA ROSA, CA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seeking to make an arrest at the Santa Cruz County Main Jail went away empty-handed Saturday, the Sheriff's Office said.
"Federal immigration agents arrived at the facility in an attempt to take an individual into custody," the Sheriff's Office said on social media. "The agents subsequently departed without detaining anyone."
Members of the community were present in the jail parking lot and documented the activity, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said.
"The Sheriff's Office recognizes that incidents involving federal immigration enforcement can create concern and uncertainty for individuals, families, and members of the broader community," it said.
It was at least the second time in a week that federal agents were seen near Bay Area jail facilities, after Santa Clara County said ICE visited its Elmwood Correctional Facility.
"We want to reassure our community that this is not new or unusual," the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said Thursday on social media.
"For more than a year, ICE personnel have periodically visited the lobby at the Elmwood Correctional Facility to review public logs and, at times, take custody of individuals scheduled for release," the Sheriff's Office said.
California law prohibits local law enforcement from alerting ICE to upcoming releases in most cases.
"ICE agents, like any member of the public, may legally be present in publicly accessible areas of our facilities," the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said.
"Federal agencies do not provide advance notice of when or where their personnel may appear, and the Sheriff's Office has no role in coordinating those visits," it said. "We cannot interfere with another law enforcement agency acting within the law."
On Tuesday, the Marin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a policy prohibiting the use of county property, resources and information for federal immigration enforcement.
The policy directs county employees to notify officials within 24 hours when federal immigration personnel are on county property for any kind of enforcement actions. That includes parking lots and staging areas.
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