How many people go from Santa Barbara County’s jails into ICE custody? The answer is controversial.
The Santa Barbara News-Press reported in April that ICE arrested 99 people at the county’s jails in 2025.
However, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says they only transferred 12 inmates into ICE custody during that time.
At a meeting in April, Sheriff Bill Brown told the Board of Supervisors that federal immigration agents sometimes wait for people to be released from county jails, in order to arrest them as they leave.
“There are instances, some that we’re aware of, apparently a lot more that we haven’t been aware of, where ICE does use our parking lots and our lobbies,” Brown said.
Because of Senate Bill 54, also known as the California Values Act, counties can only hand inmates over to federal immigration enforcement under specific circumstances.
Often, it’s because the inmate committed a particular felony outlined in the law, like assault or fraud.
However, if the Sheriff’s Office didn’t facilitate a transfer, like Brown has claimed, it wouldn’t be counted in their published data.
State law has also prompted the upcoming report from Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office on the issue — it’s scheduled for Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting in Santa Maria.
Under the TRUTH Act, local law enforcement also must hold a yearly community forum and present data on the times that they’ve transferred someone into ICE custody.
Santa Barbara County adopted an “ICE-free zone” style policy in April, with a 4-1 vote.
The next day, the activist group SBResiste accused federal agents of retaliation, by attempting to shut protestors out of the Santa Barbara County Jail’s lobby.
