ICE officials visited Watsonville at least nine times in the first two months of 2026, records show

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are continuing to visit Watsonville, and alerted the police department at least nine times within the past two months that the agency would be conducting immigration operations in the community, according to documents provided by police. 

The records do not include details on whether any arrests or deportation were made in relation to the nine visits to Watsonville. Those details are usually never shared with local police or sheriff’s departments, according to local law enforcement officials. 

Based on law enforcement records produced in response to public information requests, Lookout found at least 39 ICE courtesy notifications since the second Trump administration began its effort to deport undocumented residents throughout the United States. 

Federal law enforcement agencies notify local police and sheriff’s departments as a courtesy when they plan to conduct enforcement in their communities. A spokesperson for ICE previously told Lookout this is standard practice for the agency. 

Lookout determined the number of visits by filing public records requests with all five law enforcement agencies in Santa Cruz County — the sheriff’s office and the police departments of Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Capitola and Scotts Valley — for information on any ICE courtesy calls received in January, February and the first week of March. 

There have been no documented ICE visits in Santa Cruz so far this year, compared to last year, when ICE agents visited the city eight times. Capitola and Scotts Valley police department also said they did not have any records indicating their departments had received any calls from immigration officials about enforcement operations during the first two months of the year. 

The county’s sheriff office is still working on its response to Lookout’s request, and expects to have one by April 6, according to an email from the department. Local agencies are allowed to extend the response time beyond 10 days, per state public records law. 

Incident reports provided by Watsonville police indicate ICE visits were concentrated in neighborhoods near Watsonville High School and E.A. Hall Middle School. At least four of the nine records provided by the department occurred on Jan. 18. None of the reports indicate whether an arrest or deportation occurred, as federal agents do not provide those details to local law enforcement. 

Your Allied Rapid Response, a local grassroots organization that monitors immigration activity within Santa Cruz County, reported the arrest of a Watsonville resident in the Rodriguez Street neighborhood that same day. The records do not indicate that the police department was given advanced warning before the arrest. 

Two of the records for Jan. 18 indicate immigration officials were operating in the Watsonville High neighborhood, using the “knock and talk” tactic. ICE agents using this strategy walk up to a resident’s home and state that they are “conducting an investigation” as a way to enter the home without a judicial warrant. 

YARR also reported its hotline received calls from Watsonville residents that immigration officials were knocking on doors at homes near the high school and left the area after nobody answered their doors. 

Local immigration advocates have previously told Lookout that undocumented residents aren’t legally required to open their doors if an immigration agent shows up at their home. People should also ask whether or not immigration authorities have a judicial warrant, the group advises.

Federal officials returned to the Rodriguez Street neighborhood on Feb. 6, but records do not indicate whether an arrest was made. In mid-February, agents visited homes near Hillside and Casillas avenues on two consecutive occasions. Comments from both incident reports indicate ICE agents were only surveilling the area. 

Watsonville’s new police chief, Brian Shab, told Lookout last month that federal authorities such as ICE are not obligated to notify local law enforcement when they operate in the city, and they sometimes share that information for safety reasons. Shab added that he can’t make that public, as it would violate federal law because it could jeopardize an investigation. 

“I don’t want to get involved in their investigations,” Shab said. “It’s shared to make sure that we don’t end up at the same place at the same time,” which could endanger officers or community members. 

California law and Watsonville’s policies prohibit the department from engaging with immigration operations. 

Much like the previous records provided by local law enforcement last year, the new records from Watsonville show that ICE agents continue to conduct enforcement in the early morning hours, typically ending operations around by noon. This latest batch of reports also shows that federal officials continue to use unmarked vehicles and are often armed. 

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