Sonoma County prepares itself for Trump's deportation efforts

The county can refuse to aid or cooperate with ICE, but it can't keep a federal agency from enforcing US law in Sonoma County

Immediately after the publication of this article, it came to our attention via The New York Times that “The Justice Department has ordered U.S. attorneys to investigate and prosecute law enforcement officials in states and cities if they refuse to enforce the Trump administration’s new immigration policies, according to a three-page internal department memo. The move comes as the Homeland Security Department prepares to make targeted raids into cities with high numbers of undocumented immigrants.” We are reaching out to local law enforcement for comment.

At the Sonoma County Supervisors meeting in Sebastopol on Jan. 10, Supervisors passed a “Resolution to Uphold the Civil Rights, Dignity, Health and Safety of our Immigrant Population and all Sonoma County Residents.”

The resolution was drafted by Supervisors Lynda Hopkins and Chris Coursey.

Coursey said the resolution was in response to Trump’s immigration plan, which, Coursey said “has been condensed by him into two words, ‘mass deportation.’ I use these words knowing that they are triggering. The results for many in our community is anxiety, confusion and fear. People wonder ‘What might happen to me, my family, my neighbor, my coworker, my employee?’ I wish we could answer that question today, but we don’t have those answers yet. What we do want to provide today is an assurance to the community that the values and purpose of this board and of our whole county organization remain focused on protecting the health and safety of all of our residents—regardless of their immigration status.”

Coursey explained that because of recent state legislation, the county has more tools available to it to protect undocumented residents than it did in 2017, during the first Trump administration. According to the resolution, these laws include the following:

• The TRUST Act (AB 4): California Trust Act limits the circumstances under which local law enforcement can detain individuals on behalf of federal immigration authorities;

• The TRUTH Act (AB 2792): California Truth Act ensures transparency and oversight regarding local law enforcement’s communication with federal immigration authorities; and

• The VALUES Act (SB 54): California Values Act limits the circumstances under which local law enforcement may use funds or personnel to support immigration enforcement. It also prevents police and sheriff’s deputies from asking about an individual’s immigration status, from sharing a person’s personal information with immigration authorities, unless otherwise required or permitted by law, or from arresting anyone only for having a deportation removal order or for most other immigration violations.

All the same, Coursey noted, “It’s also important for us to acknowledge—and for the community to know—that regardless of the new state laws or county policies, we do not have the powers that enable us to prevent the federal government from enforcing US law in Sonoma County.”

Explaining the resolution, Coursey said, “It describes how Sonoma County will—within the requirements and to the extent possible under state and federal laws—protect the personal information of those doing business with or receiving benefits from the county. It reiterates the policy that county employees will not work to enforce federal immigration laws—and other than the exceptions allowed by the Trust Act, the Truth Act and the Values Act—will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.”

The resolution also includes a call for “Congress to promptly legislate a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and to refrain from further talk or actions leading to mass or indiscriminate deportations,” Coursey said.

What about the Sheriff’s Department?

Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram was on hand at the meeting to explain how his department dealt with immigration issues.

“The interaction that we have with ICE has been limited,” Ingram said. “We’ve already made changes since I took office.” For example, he said that his office does not report misdemeanor offenses to ICE. “We also removed misdemeanor wobblers—a wobbler is a crime that could be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony. So we removed our reporting to ICE with misdemeanor wobblers. That was one of the first things we did.”

He encouraged people to look at the immigration page on the sheriff’s website.

“In that tab, we share the list of crimes of people that we share information with ICE on. I think if you look at those lists of crimes, we’re not talking about a single DUI. We’re talking about people who have committed serious crimes in our community,” he said.

In short, he said, “The Sheriff's Office does not engage in immigration enforcement and will not engage in immigration enforcement. We do not assist ICE officials in deportation raids. ICE officers are not allowed in our jail—with the exception of taking an individual into custody with a judicial warrant. That is the only time that ICE officials are allowed within our facilities.”

He also referred to a letter, dated Nov. 19, 2024, that he and all the police chiefs in Sonoma County, including Sebastopol’s Police Chief Ron Nelson, had signed. That letter states, in part:

“We want to make it explicitly clear that local law enforcement agencies in Sonoma County do not participate in federal immigration enforcement operations. This includes, but is not limited to, activities such as inquiring about a person’s immigration status, detaining individuals based on federal immigration detainers, assisting in immigration enforcement investigations, or sharing information with federal agencies related to an individual’s immigration status.”

The one exception to the ban on information sharing is if ICE files a Public Records Act request. Then the county or the sheriff’s office is required to comply.

Funds for immigrant protection

For extra measure, the supervisors tentatively agreed to spend $500,000 on immigrant protections in the county.

“The thing that’s concerning to me is that we have folks living in Sonoma County who are eligible for refugee status,” Hopkins said. “They came here looking for a better life, and yet they are being threatened with deportation. They do not have universal representation. They have no right to an attorney.”

Given how slowly the wheels of government grind, Hopkins said she wanted to put out a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) as soon as possible.

“It would at least allow us to say, ‘Hey, nonprofits, what are the needs that you see?’ and to help with proposals that could potentially meet the needs as they arise,” she said. “If we wait until we’re having ICE raids in Sonoma County, we’ve waited too long, and it’s too late.”

“I think that we have clear evidence that we already have unmet needs when it comes to deportation events and immigrant services,” she said. “Right now, we have nonprofits who are hosting community events where the rooms are packed with parents who are trying to figure out plans for what to do with their children”—her voice cracked—“and sorry for getting emotional, but I am so grateful that’s a conversation I don’t have to have with my husband and my children. I can’t imagine the pain of a parent thinking about what’s going to happen to their kids if they’re deported by ICE.”

There was general agreement among the supervisors that this was a worthy use of $500,000. This proposal will be brought back for a vote before the Board of Supervisors in the near future.