Alameda County issues cease-and-desist letter to stop ICE activity at jail

On Nov. 1, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents chased someone from the parking lot of Santa Rita Jail into the jail’s lobby, where the agents forcibly detained them, according to Alameda County. A week later, on Nov. 8, two ICE agents got into a physical confrontation with members of the public in the jail’s lobby, a situation county officials have described as creating “potentially dangerous and unpredictable circumstances carrying an unacceptable risk of confusion and physical harm.” In response to these and other incidents at the jail, Alameda County’s top attorney, Andrea Weddle, issued a rare rebuke to federal immigration authorities on Monday in the form of a cease-and-desist letter . According to Weddle, the county’s interim counsel, ICE agents have recently been spotted in the parking lot, lobby, and other common areas of Santa Rita Jail, the Alameda County jail in Dublin, using county property as a staging ground for immigration enforcement. “ICE agents have engaged in conduct that raises serious concerns for public safety and the orderly operation of the custodial facility,” Weddle wrote in the letter, which was addressed to Julio Hernandez, the acting director for ICE’s San Francisco office. Citing a law Alameda County leaders enacted earlier this year that created what are commonly referred to as “ICE-free zones,” Weddle is demanding that ICE stop using county property, including the jail, as a staging area or base for civil immigration enforcement. “ICE shall not pursue, confront, or detain individuals on County property or engage in other conduct that creates unnecessary safety risks to ACSO personnel, other County employees, ICE agents, or members of the public,” she wrote in the Nov. 9 letter. Read the county’s demand letter ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to our questions about the county’s demands. Fortunato Bas’ office said ICE hasn’t responded to the county’s demands yet. In her letter, Weddle informed ICE that Alameda County “will take appropriate action,” including legal action, if federal agents continue to access county property like the jail for immigration enforcement. Alameda County’s ICE-free zone law , adopted in January, prohibits county-owned or controlled land and buildings from being used as staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement. County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas confirmed on Monday that ICE agents have been observed at Santa Rita Jail over the past two weeks using the parking lot as a staging area and creating safety hazards by parking in red zones. “Alameda County will not stand by while our residents are targeted and our public resources are misused,” Fortunato Bas said in a press release Monday. “We will continue to defend our communities, protect families, uphold everyone’s rights, and work diligently to ensure that all residents can access essential County services without fear or intimidation.” According to Fortunato Bas and immigration advocacy groups Centro Legal de la Raza and ACILEP , which provides legal and emergency support for immigrant communities, there has been a surge in immigration enforcement across the Bay Area over the past several weeks. On Oct. 30, a UC Berkeley student and asylum seeker was arrested by ICE at San Francisco airport . Over the weekend, ICE agents arrested four separate people in Oakland. Last month, someone arrested by ICE in Emeryville was taken to Oakland’s Highland Hospital after, ACILEP alleges, agents used excessive force in taking him into custody. The person was later taken from Highland by immigration agents who did not present an arrest warrant. Fortunato Bas and others were outraged by the presence of ICE agents at the county’s safety net hospital, and by the detention upon the patient’s release. Also last month, ICE agents forcefully arrested a man near San Antonio Park; an attorney with Centro Legal said he was hospitalized in San Francisco. These and other incidents may be part of what ICE has dubbed “ Operation Safe California ,” a 45-day enforcement operation coinciding with the midterm elections. Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods said he sees Weddle’s demand letter to ICE as a step in the right direction. His office has been warning about the public safety risk posed by immigration enforcement around courthouses, the jail and other public buildings since last year. Woods sent a letter on Nov. 5 to the Board of Supervisors describing reports of ICE agents around the jail. The uptick in ICE activity at Santa Rita “could indicate an unannounced expansion of ICE’s presence in Alameda County,” Woods wrote. “ICE could be testing the limits of the County’s policy to see how local officials will respond. As we’ve seen, ICE enforcement doesn’t just jeopardize our immigrant neighbors, it’s dangerous to all residents.” Woods said Tuesday that he believes ICE’s presence around the jail is detrimental to the entire criminal justice system. “I know some people will say, ‘Well, they’re arresting criminals.’ But they’re not. We’ve seen cases where someone was arrested but not charged, and when they were released from the jail, they were immediately stopped by immigration agents.” The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to questions, including about whether ICE agents have continued to show up at the jail in recent days. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Oakland Unified Superintendent Dennise Saddler issued a joint statement today acknowledging that the recent increase in ICE enforcement has the city on edge. “We will not tolerate actions designed to spread fear in our City,” they wrote. “We will not allow intimidation targeting our families, disrupting our schools, or dividing our neighborhoods. Our schools are sanctuaries where our children belong, and our workplaces and public spaces belong to all Oakland residents.” Lee and Saddler encouraged people to report immigration enforcement activity to ACILEP . Related stories Berkeley rallied to restore a vandalized mural. Why does a little of the damage remain? November 6, 2026 ICE arrests 23-year-old UC Berkeley student and asylum seeker at San Francisco airport November 3, 2026 Nov. 4, 2026, 9:26 a.m. There’s been an uptick in violent ICE arrests in the Bay Area, immigration attorneys warn October 22, 2026 Oct. 22, 2026, 4:29 p.m. " * " indicates required fields Send a note to the editors. * Have a comment on this story? See an error that needs correcting? Have a tip, question or suggestion? Drop us a line. Email * Name Phone Would you like to be anonymous? No Yes If you reply "no," we may publish your comment in a story or newsletter under your name. Embed URL Submit Δ