The decrease in transfers came as the federal agency requested 634 holds on undocumented residents accused of crimes. ICE requested holds on 389 people in custody in 2024, according to the presentation last year for the TRUTH Act<\/a>, 2017\u2019s Senate Bill 54.<\/p>\n Zanoni told The Bee the number of requests by ICE does not correlate directly to the number of people who are transferred by deputies in Fresno County, because local law enforcement follows California state law in determining who qualifies. He said he could not say for certain why the numbers fluctuate like they do, because he does not communicate with ICE.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot reach out to them. We cannot give them any information related to this,\u201d he said. \u201cThey send the request, we review it, we determine if it\u2019s in compliance with SB 54. If it is, and that individual\u2019s in our custody, then we can accept the transfer request.\u201d<\/p>\n Immigration enforcement ratcheted after President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, and caused significant uproar in the San Joaquin Valley when U.S. Border Patrol agents were spotted making arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n More on ICE transfers from Fresno County<\/p>\n There were 27,164 total bookings into Fresno County Jail in 2025. Of the 63 transferred to ICE, 36 included those accused of crimes against people, 13 crimes against property, 10 felony drug cases or DUIs, and three sex crimes, the sheriff said.<\/p>\n Zanoni said the most common felony that qualified for a transfer in 2025 was false imprisonment (10), which is commonly associated with domestic violence incidents. Domestic violence was the second most common at nine, and third was felony burglary with eight. There were five felony DUIs, which includes serious injury or death.<\/p>\n He stressed that his deputies do not themselves check the immigration status of a victim when they call for help, saying deputies should not be feared by anyone living in Fresno County who may need to report a crime.<\/p>\n \u201cI want people to know that we\u2019ve provided police services throughout Fresno County for years,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do not deal with immigration status. No one is going to ask you your immigration status if you\u2019re the victim or a witness of a crime. And even if you\u2019re a suspect, the deputies out in the field will not ask you.\u201d<\/p>\n The sheriff\u2019s office also did not provide any space inside a county property for ICE to conduct interviews last year, he said during his report. Zanoni said the practice of using the vestibule as a way to transfer undocumented immigrants to ICE is a thing of the past.<\/p>\n The Fresno County Sheriff\u2019s Office took heat in 2020 and years<\/a> that followed by critics who said deputies were skirting SB 54 by putting undocumented immigrants accused of crimes but not qualified to be transferred to ICE into a locked and secured vestibule before they were re-arrested by ICE agents. Critics said then-Sheriff Margaret Mims was using the end around to avoid having to report more transfers to ICE.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I have taken office, they are not allowed in there, because that is considered a secure area,\u201d Zanoni said on Tuesday. \u201cSo that was stopped. And if they stand out in front of the jail on a public sidewalk, I can\u2019t control that.\u201d<\/p>\n Supervisors voiced their support of Zanoni on Tuesday after his report.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand the sentiments that people express, and I respect that, but I support ICE,\u201d Supervisor Garry Bredefeld said. \u201cI support our sheriff\u2019s department, and I support law and order, and following federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n Supervisor Luis Chavez said he believed the sheriff\u2019s office works in the community\u2019s best interest.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere the issue comes up is when you have the federal agencies targeting folks that are just going to work,\u201d Chavez said. \u201cYou have the tamale lady or the food vendor or folks that have done nothing wrong but try to provide a living for their community.\u201d<\/p>\n But the presentation drew concern and criticism of members of the public who spoke, like Jessica Flores, a community organizer with Services Immigrant Rights and Education Network.<\/p>\n \u201cWe acknowledge the number of ICE transfers, and that there were fewer, but our goal should be zero transfers,\u201d she said. \u201cSB 54 is a law to limit enforcement, not an invitation to find justification for cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n