Recent actions taken by ICE have been at the top of many people's minds, both across the country and here at home.
That's why many community members are planning to attend the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors' public forum on Tuesday, where officials will reportedly explain how the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has cooperated with federal immigration authorities.
"We do anticipate larger-than-normal crowds," Scott Jalbert, the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services Director, said.
According to documents shared by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, last year, the agency released 69 inmates into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
That's compared to 1 inmate in 2024.
KSBY spoke with an immigration attorney about State Bill 54, which dictates local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
"They're not really allowed to arrest people solely for immigration purposes. They're not allowed to detain people beyond a reasonable time solely for immigration purposes, even at ICE's request," Said Scott Emerick, an Associate Attorney with Bolour / Carl Immigration Group, said. "They are allowed to inform ICE about people that are being released from prison or jails based on certain convictions."
California’s Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds act, also called the TRUTH Act, requires every California county to hold a community forum if the sheriff’s office transfers inmates to ICE during a given year.
The sheriff's office will reportedly present data from 2024 and 2025, and then answer questions from the Board of Supervisors and receive and consider public comment.
County officials say they're prepared for a large turnout on Tuesday.
"We will have the lobby area available for people to view through the TV screens, and we'll also have some overflow rooms [where] people are able to sit and watch the proceedings," said Jalbert.
The TRUTH Act Forum section of the meeting is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
For more details, you can visit the county's public hearing webpage.
