Sonoma County Sheriff faces growing opposition for collaboration with ICE

Santa Rosa, CA – On December 9, community members, faith leaders and immigrant rights organizations gathered in Santa Rosa to demand an end to all cooperation between Sonoma County law enforcement and ICE. The rally came amid heightened fear in immigrant communities due to the renewed intensification of deportations.

At the center of the demands was Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram’s continued practice of sharing jail release dates with ICE, a form of collaboration that puts immigrant families in harm’s way.

“Sheriff Engram currently shares release dates with ICE,” said Isabel López, executive director of Raíces Collective and a member of the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition (SCSC). “This has a devastating ripple effect because it causes immigrant communities to mistrust local law enforcement, and that makes it unsafe for everybody.”

Speakers emphasized that cooperation with ICE is not legally required. California law already restricts local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities, yet advocates argue that sheriffs and counties still retain discretion, and responsibility, to fully cut ties with ICE.

Due to increased ICE enforcement and political pressure at the federal level, immigrant communities fear that local officials will expand collaboration rather than resist it. Organizers warned that without firm, public commitments to noncooperation, families remain vulnerable to detention and deportation.

“The sheriff and the county board of supervisors must stand on the side of immigrants during these times of mass deportations,” said Gabriela Hernandez, coordinator of ALMAS LIBRES and member of SCSC. “During this holiday season, they should show us that they value our families staying together, no matter our immigration status.”

Faith leaders across Sonoma County invited Sheriff Engram to attend the rally and hear directly from immigrants affected by ICE collaboration, including residents from counties with stronger sanctuary policies who spoke about the benefits of non-cooperation. The sheriff did not show. The event included music, traditional Mexican food and drink, and a Las Posadas style celebration, underscoring the connection between culture, community and resistance.

Activists from neighboring Napa County also attended the rally, stressing that solidarity must be paired with action at home. While Napa officials often point to California’s state-level protections, the city of Napa has not passed a local sanctuary ordinance of its own.

“Napa is not a sanctuary city,” said Aldo Solano of North Bay CSO, who spoke at the event. “Our officials keep saying stronger protections are ‘symbolic,’ but there’s nothing symbolic about families being torn apart. We’re demanding real sanctuary ordinances, not excuses.”

Organizers made clear that the struggle against ICE collaboration is a North Bay-wide fight. They are calling on sheriffs, city councils and boards of supervisors to move beyond rhetoric and enact binding policies that prohibit all forms of cooperation with immigration enforcement.

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