Alameda County's top lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to federal immigration authorities Monday demanding that their agents stay away from Santa Rita Jail.
Interim County Counsel Andrea Weddle sent the letter to Julio Hernandez, head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's San Francisco office.
In the letter, Weddle says ICE agents have been using the jail's parking lot, lobby and surrounding areas to make arrests, which is prohibited by a county ordinance and "creates significant safety risks" for Alameda County Sheriff's Office personnel and members of the public.
ICE appears to have ramped up its activity in recent weeks, with 19 arrests reported in multiple cities across the county, including Oakland, Hayward, Livermore, Union City, Berkeley and Dublin, where Santa Rita Jail is located.
The Oaklandside reports Weddle’s letter cites two recent examples of ICE activity that put jail personnel and visitors in danger.
The letter makes four demands — that ICE cease all unauthorized use of county property, cease all civil immigration enforcement activity that compromises safety, notify its agents that the jail and other county properties are off limits and that ICE officials preserve evidence, including bodycam footage of agent activity in and around the jail.
An ICE spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the agents are conducting lawful enforcement activities.
