ICE arrests down at Monterey County Jail

It’s been one year since the Monterey County Jail cut ties with ICE. Since then, the number of inmates ICE has picked up from the jail has dropped drastically.

Tuesday, the first meeting revealing those numbers was held, giving the county and public a chance to weigh in.

In 2017, ICE took 217 inmates out of the county jail as they were leaving custody. So far this year, that number has dropped to 36. The Sheriff’s office says it’s all because of legislation.

“SB 54, the Sanctuary State Bill […] really restricted the things that we were allowed to tell ICE at all, that’s really why you see such a sharp decline in the numbers,” Undersheriff John Mineau said.

Also making a difference, the Truth Act, enacted in 2017.

“What it requires is that we give inmates a consent form before they talk to ICE if they want to or not in jail,” Mineau said, “It also requires us to notify inmates if ICE has an interest in their out date, it also requires us to notify inmate’s families if ICE shows up to collect them when they leave the jail.”

On top of that, it requires a yearly community forum to give people a chance to hear about anytime ICE had contact with those in jail, that first meeting being held Tuesday.

Even with the legislative changes, ICE is still making arrests on the Central Coast.

“The challenge when they go out into the community, they might be looking for one person,” Mineau said, “But there might be another person out there that they’re not looking for but if they find them it could lead to additional arrests. So they have arrested what they would call ‘collateral people’, just someone who’s at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Under the law now, ICE can only learn about somebody leaving jail or pick them up for certain misdemeanors or a violent felony charge.