Marin County supervisors are joining an effort to block a planned ICE holding facility in Santa Clara County, but they disappointed immigrant rights activists who packed a board meeting last week to demand they do more.
Last Tuesday, supervisors to file a friend-of-the-court brief supporting a lawsuit that seeks to halt the development of an ICE holding center near Gilroy—part of the Trump administration’s campaign to add 100,000 beds nationwide. The suit was brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County.
During public comments at the same meeting, a coalition of 16 activist groups called No ICE In Marin urged the board to embrace a proposed ordinance drafted by the Marin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
The proposal, which has garnered over 5,000 signatures, would bar the use of county property or resources in support of federal immigration enforcement, require public reporting of all ICE activity in the county, and prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing masks. It was the second time the coalition has urged supervisors to consider the ordinance.
“It’s the board’s responsibility to use every tool at its disposal to limit ICE’s ability to terrorize our neighbors. This should not be controversial,” said Curt Ries, a San Anselmo resident and a leader of the Marin D.S.A. “I don’t understand why they’re willing to support the Gilroy injunction but not listen to thousands upon thousands of their own voters who are urging them to take action that is closer to home and more direct.”
The proposed facility is part of a nationwide expansion of holding and detention centers, an effort that has met fierce local resistance, even in red states. The Santa Clara lawsuit alleges that the proposed 18,700-square-foot facility, designed to hold 150 people, would violate environmental rules, and that ICE has tried to evade local input on the plan.
“ICE holding facilities, originally intended for only short-term detainment, are now the subject of lawsuits and investigative reports revealing overcrowding, long-term confinement, and inhumane conditions,” the lawsuit says. “The defendants seek to build such a facility in an area that is home to several threatened and endangered species, is zoned for exclusive agriculture, has limited and inadequate waste disposal infrastructure, is likely contaminated with hazardous materials that were never properly disposed of, and likely lacks appropriate health and safety precautions for detainees—especially children.”
A statement issued by Marin supervisors said that communities near ICE facilities see an increase in immigration arrests and that increased immigration enforcement harms local economies and leads to a litany of other negative impacts. “Immigrants have long been, and continue to be, an essential part of Marin’s community, economy, culture, and shared future,” said Eric Lucan, the board president.
Immigrant rights groups have been packing supervisors’ meetings for months now, urging them to cease any actions that directly or indirectly facilitate ICE’s work. Among the nine Bay Area counties, Marin and Solano Counties are the only two that have not adopted no-ICE ordinances or sanctuary ordinances that go beyond California’s sanctuary law.
In 2020, Marin supervisors rejected a sanctuary ordinance that would have banned all cooperation with immigration authorities. Instead, they approved a resolution that urged the sheriff’s office to limit cooperation with ICE. The resolution stated that the Board of Supervisors has limited authority over the independently elected sheriff.
In recent years, activists’ sense of urgency has intensified. ICE agents flooded Minneapolis last year, sweeping up thousands of people with no criminal record, including citizens and foreign-born people with green cards. During months of protest, ICE agents shot and killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti, unleashing outrage across the Twin Cities and the nation.
Last February, Marin supervisors agreed to stop accepting a federal government subsidy tied to reporting crime data on immigrants as part of a program called the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or SCAAP. The program offsets expenses incurred while incarcerating some immigrants without permanent legal status; in exchange, counties must submit identifying information for those detainees, including names, dates of birth, countries of origin, and dates of incarceration.
For activists, the county’s withdrawal from SCAAP was a victory, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Mary Morgan is a Point Reyes Station resident and a leader of Indivisible West Marin, which is part of the coalition promoting the ordinance.
“Marin has done some great things for the immigrant community, no question about that, but I don’t think what the county has done in the past is an appropriate or adequate response to our request that they do something now to take action to prevent ICE from coming into the county,” she said. “I think we can all recognize that ICE is a completely lawless rogue law enforcement agency.”
Because No ICE In Marin’s proposed ordinance wasn’t on the agenda last week, supervisors were not allowed to formally address it. Still, District Four Supervisor Dennis Rodoni responded to the sentiments, reading from a prepared statement.
“I believe it is our responsibility to carefully evaluate what actions will have the greatest impact and the fewest unintended consequences for the people we are trying to protect,” he said. “Our responsibility is not only to listen to the advocates and organizations but also to the immigrant families, workers, students, and community members whose lives are impacted every day by federal immigration policy.”
Mr. Rodoni said the county has provided $1.5 million for immigrant legal services and emergency assistance for families impacted by detentions. It participates in Belonging to the Bay, a coalition of 12 counties that share information, coordinate strategies, and prepare for potential impacts of federal immigration enforcement actions.
The county also helps fund the Marin Rapid Response Network to track detentions and raise awareness about legal rights. At last week’s meeting, Lisa Bennett, who directs the network, said the supervisors appeared hesitant to back the no-ICE ordinance because they believe it could put a target on the county’s back.
“But our immigrant communities, they are targets now,” she said. “They are experiencing the impact of ICE now.”
ICE detentions in Marin this year have outpaced last year’s rate, with seven immigrants detained in March and 11 detained in May. Most of them were taken into custody after attending immigration proceedings in San Francisco, Ms. Bennett said.
Every day, more mothers are requesting help transporting their children to appointments because they are scared to leave the house. “We have to stand beside them and protect their rights as much as we can,” she said.