Activists gathered at the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, calling on county leaders to take action regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity at the county jail.
Demonstrators dressed in black and carried signs displaying dates that organizers say represent people taken into ICE custody following their release from the San Luis Obispo County Jail.
The demonstration was organized by a coalition that includes local Indivisible groups. Organizers said they have documented 79 people taken into ICE custody from the jail since Jan. 2.
Susan Mackey, a member of Cambria Indivisible, said activists have been attending Board of Supervisors meetings for nearly a year, trying to raise concerns about ICE activity at the jail.
“The Board of Supervisors, several of us have been coming for coming up on a year now to talk to the Board of Supervisors about stopping ICE coming into our county jail and getting people upon their release from jail,” Mackey said.
She said the signs carried by demonstrators intentionally did not include the names of those taken into custody.
“We’re not using their names, but we’re trying to humanize them,” Mackey said. “This is the day that we’re honoring when a person was taken from our community.”
Mackey said that activists observed ICE activity at the jail as recently as Monday and Tuesday morning.
“Because ICE wants to take them, they go into the lobby and take them upon their release,” Mackey said. “It happened yesterday morning and it happened this morning, so it’s continuing.”
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Tuesday that it is in full compliance with California Senate Bill 54 (SB 54), which limits when local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration authorities while allowing certain exceptions under state law.
Sheriff's officials also said that "to promote transparency," they have "created a public website that provides the maximum amount of information permitted under California law regarding SB 54 compliance."
According to that website, the sheriff's office has received 249 requests from ICE so far this year; 39 people have been released to ICE. The website also lists the charges involved in each case.
Activists said they want county leaders to do more to prevent ICE agents from taking people into custody at the jail following their release.
Sheriff's officials said anyone who believes the office is not complying with SB 54 can make a report to the California Attorney General's Office.
