The Board of Supervisors Meet About TRUTH

On Tuesday, May 6, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted a report from the Sheriff’s Office outlining its interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the TRUTH Act, short for the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds Act. 

The TRUTH Act is a California law aimed at safeguarding the rights of immigrants held in county jails. It requires that individuals in custody be notified if federal immigration authorities, such as ICE, request to interview them or receive information about their release.

The law also mandates that counties hold at least one public forum each year if their law enforcement agencies have shared access with ICE. These meetings give residents an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns, promoting transparency around how local agencies interact with federal immigration enforcement.

Ahead of the annual meeting, the public gathered outside the Santa Barbara County Administration Building holding signs expressing opposition to the Sheriff’s Office’s communications with ICE. Once inside, they raised their signs for the supervisors to see. 

County Sheriff Bill Brown was not present for this meeting. In his place was Undersheriff Craig Bonner.“At the outset, I want to make it clear to everyone: The Sheriff’s Office and the other local law enforcement agencies DO NOT enforce federal immigration laws,” he said. He added that they treat all inmates equally. “A person’s immigration status does not change how we interact with them nor the services that we provide to them.”

No state law mandates that local law enforcement agencies, including sheriff’s offices, cooperate with ICE in California. In fact, California law restricts such cooperation under most circumstances. While the California Values Act (SB 54) limits cooperation, it does allow for certain exceptions. Local law enforcement may notify ICE or transfer individuals to ICE custody if the person, for example, has been convicted of a serious or violent felony. 

At the meeting, the agency shared how its process works. Following a request, the Sheriff’s Office staff manually checks the inmate’s history and current charges to see if they meet exceptions under the TRUTH Act that allow limited information sharing. If an individual qualifies, the Sheriff’s office will email ICE only the charges, the next court date, and the release date once the release date is known.

Their report explained that ICE requests increased from 141 in 2023 to 229 in 2024, with re-arrests rising from 5 to 13. They said that they have seen an increase in requests in 2025, but not a dramatic rise in pickups – they are currently trending towards nine pickups this year. 

The Sheriff’s Office also clarified that they do not hold individuals beyond their release date for ICE – ICE must be present to make a re-arrest. They explained that they consider this a “re-arrest” by ICE upon the individual’s release from their facility, rather than a “transfer.”

Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office notifies the public defender’s office and ICE simultaneously when a qualifying individual will be released. Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann wanted to know why the public defender isn’t notified earlier in the re-arrest process. She stated she would be interested in learning more about it, noting that having legal representation is a right in
due process.

First District Supervisor Roy Lee inquired about the cost of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s communications with ICE. Undersheriff Bonner assured Lee that there was “not any additional cost” but that the agency is “using some of our staff time to do it.”

Most public commenters demanded that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office end all its communications with ICE, saying it creates an atmosphere of “fear and anxiety” within the community.

Becki Norton, Co-Founder of the Carpinteria Coalition for Immigrant Rights, stated that the Sheriff’s Office’s communications with ICE “erodes trust.” “When law enforcement cooperates with ICE, many immigrants fear contact with police,” she said.

The board voted unanimously to accept the report, given that the Sheriff’s Office will explore how they can notify the public defender earlier in the process and report back to the board on
their findings.

Before the vote, Board Chair Laura Capps asked the protestors to hold up their signs so she could see them better. “I praise and am in admiration of how so many people, many of whom are here today,” she said, “have turned that grief, that fear, that chaos … rather than being paralyzed by it, you’re turning it
into action.”