Quick Take
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is moving to bar federal officials engaged in immigration enforcement from using county-owned properties. Immigration advocates and other county officials support the ban.
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The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with a ban on federal officials using county-owned or -controlled facilities for immigration enforcement purposes as federal actions continue across the country.
County supervisors conditionally approved the proposed local ordinance Tuesday morning. A second hearing is scheduled for March 24, when the board will vote on final approval.
The ordinance would prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents from using county-owned parking lots, buildings and open spaces as processing locations, operation bases or staging areas to organize or deploy personnel, said Board Chair Monica Martinez, who proposed the ordinance along with District 4 Supervisor Felipe Hernandez.
“As we’ve seen over the last year, the federal government has rescinded prior limitations on immigration enforcement at or near sensitive locations where people access essential services, including schools, courts and medical facilities,” Martinez said. She added that federal agents are using these spaces for enforcement purposes in other parts of the country, which undermines community trust and spreads fear.
Martinez said the ordinance would not prevent agents who have “lawfully issued” judicial warrants from arresting people.
The new policy would direct the county executive’s office to develop protocols, such as using physical barriers to limit access or requiring staff to notify their supervisor if they suspect a violation of the ordinance, but specifics on those protocols aren’t official yet. Once those protocols are finalized, county staff will undergo training to ensure their understanding of the protocols and that they are applied consistently, said Martinez.
County CEO Nicole Coburn told the board that her team is generating a list of all the property and open spaces the county owns to determine which will need appropriate signage.
“The impacts of ICE in our community are devastating to families. It causes not only fear, but it costs the daily lives of our residents,” said Hernandez. “Our community is scared to go to work and employers are unsure how to protect their employees.”
Immigration agents visited Santa Cruz County at least 30 times in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, with the most recent visit in January to arrest a Watsonville resident.
Community members and immigration advocates expressed their support for the ordinance.
Faris Sabbah, county superintendent of schools, said the ordinance would ensure that resources, such as health care facilities, are not used to create fear or disrupt access to families. The County Office of Education recently passed a similar resolution prohibiting immigration officials from using the agency’s buildings.
Paulina Moreno, co-chair of the Santa Cruz County Immigration Coalition, said the proposed ordinance will reinforce the idea that residents can access services without fear in county spaces. “From what we see on the ground, fear and confusion around enforcement are already affecting how families interact with public systems,” she said.
Supervisor Justin Cummings suggested that the county encourage other jurisdictions that have not passed similar policies to do so. Last month, the City of Watsonville became the first jurisdiction in the county to bar federal immigration officials from using city-owned property. Santa Clara and San Jose also passed similar policies.
Martinez provided the first report from the subcommittee focused on preparing for the possible impacts of immigration enforcement on county residents. She and Hernandez lead the subcommittee.
“Its focus is on internal county preparedness, including reviewing and strengthening county department protocols related to immigration enforcement encounters in county facilities, identifying legal operational and policy gaps that may affect service access or county compliance with state and federal law,” she said.
The subcommittee will not directly replace community-based rapid response networks, such as Your Allied Rapid Response, nor will it conduct or coordinate field response to immigration enforcement activity, Martinez said. The county doesn’t want to duplicate the work already being done in the community, she added.
Due to community concern about the use of automated license-plate reader cameras being used for immigration purposes, Martinez said Coburn’s office has requested the California Office of the Inspector General to conduct an audit on the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office’s use of a state database that collects data from these cameras. The county does not have any automated license plate reader cameras in the unincorporated county areas.
The next update from the subcommittee is expected to happen by May 19.
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