‘ICE-free zones’ are coming to Alameda County

Federal immigration brokers are prohibited from utilizing Alameda County property for operations and surveillance.

The county Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted new guidelines Tuesday that prohibit immigration brokers from utilizing county property — together with parking heaps, garages and personal areas of buildings — to conduct operations, course of detainees or for surveillance. To implement this coverage, provincial officers defined that they are going to depend on civil actions, akin to stop and desist orders.

The supervisors additionally voted to create a complete response plan for coping with immigration enforcement actions. This features a employees coaching and communications protocol and convening county stakeholders for planning conferences.

“I’m very proud to introduce a movement to make sure that Alameda County is firmly on the correct facet of justice, democracy and defending the dignity and humanity of all our residents,” mentioned Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, who spearheaded the proposals together with Supervisor Elisa Márquez.

Alameda County’s actions on Tuesday introduced it into line with Santa Clara County, which established “ICE-free” zones final fall. San Francisco regulators are research into a similar planas do officers in Los Angeles. All 4 provinces have giant foreign-born populations, together with residents, authorized residents and undocumented residents.

The board’s vote was met with thunderous cheers and applause from dozens of people that confirmed as much as assist the proposals. Dozens of public audio system — together with religion leaders, union representatives, academics, medical employees and political activists — emphasised that county leaders should put together for the form of violent immigration enforcement actions going down in Minneapolis.

“Since our federal authorities has given up defending us, it’s as much as native governments to guard their constituents,” mentioned Kelly Miller-Sanchez, pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Dublin. “Not appearing at the moment is collusion.”

A number of audio system recalled the reminiscence Alex Prettia 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis who was shot and killed by Customs and Border Patrol brokers final Saturday. Photos of the capturing contradicted Trump administration officers claims Pretti brandishing a gun sparked huge protests throughout the nation, coming simply weeks after federal immigration brokers killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old author in Minneapolis. By 2026 that may have been at the very least eight folks murdered by federal immigration agents or died whereas in ICE custody, following 32 deaths in 2025.

“Renee Good ought to nonetheless be alive. Keith Porter Jr. ought to nonetheless be alive. And now it saddens me to say that Alex Pretti, a fellow official… ought to nonetheless be alive,” Supervisor Márquez mentioned.

Rabbi David Cooper informed the board that he had simply returned from Minneapolis, the place he and 600 different clergy from throughout the nation demonstrated towards immigration enforcement actions the day earlier than Pretti was killed. The Trump administration’s actions, he mentioned, made him surprise what would have occurred after Kristallnacht if the folks of Berlin had taken to the streets to protest Nazi violence.

“Possibly historical past may have been totally different,” Cooper mentioned.

Many audio system additionally urged the board to not enable the previous FCI Dublin girls’s jail to open converted into an immigration detention center. The federal Bureau of Prisons closed FCI Dublin in late 2024 after a number of correctional officers have been charged with intercourse crimes. ICE officers a tour of the facility final yr with the intention of turning it right into a detention heart, which didn’t occur.

The one public speaker on the assembly who denounced the proposals was Mindy Pechenuk, a Republican activist who has run for Metropolis Council and mayor of Oakland up to now.

“We do not want ICE-free zones, we’d like drug-free zones and cartel-free zones,” Pechenuk mentioned. “And I assist Trump 100%.”

Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez expressed her assist for the board’s proposals. She additionally mentioned her workplace is dedicated to stopping receiving funding from the federal government via the State Legal Alien Help Program. Administered partially by ICE, this program reimburses native jurisdictions for the prices of detaining undocumented immigrants. In 2024, the sheriff’s workplace obtained greater than $1 million in trade for sharing delicate private info, together with names, locations of delivery and nations of origin.

“So long as we will be sure that we proceed with important companies and important gear for which we’ve used SCAAP funding, I’m prepared to step away from accepting that funding,” Sánchez mentioned, prompting loud cheers from the group.

Sanchez and different officers additionally issued a number of warnings throughout the assembly in regards to the limitations of the proposals. Residents want to know that “ICE-free” doesn’t suggest federal brokers cannot set foot on county property, Sanchez mentioned. Attorneys for the county additionally identified that whereas they’ve deemed the proposals legally defensible, anybody may nonetheless sue the county over the coverage.

Supervisor Nate Miley mentioned he is not going to assist any measure that might result in county regulation enforcement stepping into violent battle with ICE.

“I do not wish to see a capturing,” Miley mentioned.