Reports of federal immigration agents staging outside the city and county jail facilities in Santa Ana’s Civic Center to target undocumented immigrants being released from custody are raising concerns about eroding community confidence in the city’s declared sanctuary status.
Observers say the stakeouts threaten the trust Santa Ana’s sanctuary policy is meant to build in the heavily immigrant community. The reports have prompted OC Second District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento and U.S. Rep. Lou Correa to question whether the Sheriff’s Department is assisting federal immigration enforcement in a state that prohibits cooperation. Local law enforcement officials say their departments have not played any part in the operations.
According to members of the Orange County Rapid Response Network and other immigrant advocacy groups, federal immigration agents have been seen staging almost daily for multiple hours outside the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Intake Release Center and Santa Ana Police Department headquarters for at least the past two weeks.
Melissa Rios, a 27-year-old Costa Mesa resident and volunteer with the Rapid Response Network, said community observers have reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents have been stopping and racially profiling people visiting, being released from custody or, in some cases, simply walking by.
Early in the week, observers witnessed a U.S. citizen being stopped and released after agents scanned his face with a device, she said. Rios and several other observers said agents have been seen conducting such facial scans multiple times in recent weeks.
“The entire reason that sanctuary cities exist is to create safer communities,” said Kanan Durham, a 35-year-old Huntington Beach resident and community observer who was volunteering to monitor ICE activity outside the jail Wednesday afternoon. “If at-risk community members feel they can safely talk to law enforcement about crime and risk in their communities, then law enforcement can do a better job.”
“By allowing ICE to perch up for eight to 10 hours a day in front of the Santa Ana police station and Orange County jail, we are limiting the ability of those community members to be full participants in the safety of our communities,” Durham argued.
The Police Department only became aware of ICE activity near the jails this past week, said Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez in an email. “We were not provided advance notice of these operations.”
He reiterated that SAPD does not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement and has neither coordinated with nor communicated with federal immigration authorities regarding the activity.
“The Santa Ana Police Department remains committed to ensuring that our personnel understand and comply with applicable state law and department policies concerning civil immigration enforcement,” Rodriguez said. “Our position remains unchanged; SAPD does not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement.”
Rapid Response Network volunteers and other independent observers said that since they started monitoring enforcement activities in 2025, this is the first time they have become aware of agents targeting the area around the jails.
“For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in response to questions.
Video footage recorded Oct. 31 by independent community observers shows ICE agents detaining a father who had reportedly gone to visit his son at the Men’s Central Jail. Supervisor Sarmiento wrote to OC Sheriff Don Barnes about the detention and community concerns that the presence of ICE is “creating fear for visitors, families, and those being released.”
The detained man’s daughter identified him as Jesus Esparza in a GoFundMe post, saying he had visited his son at the jail and was taken by ICE agents as he left the facility.
“He’s a single, loving father to my little brother,” Adriana Esparza wrote. “After my mom’s passing, he became both mom and dad to us. He’s the head of household, and my little brother depends on him alone.”
Records show Esparza was transferred to the Folkston D. Ray ICE Processing Center in Georgia, as of Friday.
In his Nov. 2 letter, Sarmiento questioned whether the department is violating the California Values Act. Barnes denied any cooperation violating state law and said ICE agents are legally allowed to be in public areas of the jails. He also accused Sarmiento of promoting a “false narrative for political benefit.”
Sarmiento later said in a social media post that Barnes had clarified the department was not involved in the arrest.
The California Values Act, or SB 54, generally limits how state and local law enforcement can assist federal immigration authorities, with exceptions for certain convictions and other circumstances specified by law. Similarly, Santa Ana, which became Orange County’s first sanctuary city in 2016, restricts the use of city resources for federal immigration enforcement.
Correa alleged in a social media video this week that the Sheriff’s Department is using a loophole to assist ICE by posting inmates’ release dates online.
But OCSD Sgt. Lizbeth Gwisdalla said the department’s booking log has been publicly available for years as a resource for loved ones and bail bond agents. She reiterated that the log is not new and is not intended to circumvent the state’s sanctuary laws.
At least two unmarked vehicles were parked in the area of the jails Wednesday. Neither had visible license plates, and both had dark window tint that made it difficult to see inside from a distance. Community observers said similar-looking vehicles had previously been seen in the vicinity of immigration enforcement activities.
On Wednesday, an Orange County Register reporter walked up to the passenger window of one vehicle, waved and displayed her press pass in an attempt to get the occupants’ attention.
Standing just outside the window, she saw what appeared to be two ICE agents seated in the two front seats in tactical gear marked with “ICE” on the front. The apparent agents did not respond or engage.
Chief Rodriguez said the city and Police Department comply with all applicable state laws and Santa Ana’s municipal sanctuary ordinances governing federal immigration enforcement. He added that the city does not authorize the use of municipal resources or facilities to support civil immigration enforcement in violation of those laws.
Rodriguez emphasized that Santa Ana remains committed to supporting residents and families impacted by immigration enforcement. Through Santa Ana Ayuda Sin Fronteras, a city-led emergency relief program, the city offers eligible residents affected by immigration enforcement up to one month of housing expenses to help cover past-due rent and utility bills.
The city also partners with Immigrant Defenders Law Center and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California to connect eligible community members with legal screenings, consultations and defense in immigration removal proceedings.
These efforts, he said, reflect the city’s commitment to the “safety, dignity and well-being of all community members during challenging times.”