The King City Police Department issued a statement on Wednesday, October 21, saying that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was not in the area and that the morning's increased police presence in the Monterey County city was part of a local law-enforcement operation, Monterey County Weekly reported.
'We want to clarify that this is NOT an ICE operation,' the department's statement said, encouraging residents to seek trusted sources before spreading misinformation. 'Please continue to rely on official sources for accurate information and updates.'
Local law enforcement — including the Soledad, King City and Greenfield police departments and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office — conducted two search warrants in King City involving cannabis, including the illegal sale, transportation and storage of marijuana wax pens and THC vaporizers, the report said.
Greenfield Police Chief Guillermo Mixer said the products have been making their way into local schools, and officials want to reduce young people's access to vape pens and THC, according to the report.
The Rapid Response Network in Monterey County — a community organisation that monitors immigration-enforcement reports — encouraged the community to halt the spread of misinformation, saying fake ICE reports have sharply increased in the region, especially posts containing AI-generated images, Monterey County Weekly reported. Monterey County Now carried the same report for the wider county audience.
Source: Monterey County Now — King City Police Refute ICE Rumors, Cite Drug Bust, Oct. 21, 2026
A local drug-enforcement operation was mistaken — and in some posts falsely presented — as an immigration raid. Police and the Rapid Response Network both urged residents to check official sources before forwarding ICE claims, which can spread fear quickly in farmworker and immigrant communities.
What is solid
- King City police said ICE was not operating in the city on Oct. 21 and that the police presence was a local operation — KCPD statement via Monterey County Weekly.
- Local agencies served two cannabis-related search warrants in King City involving marijuana wax pens and THC vaporizers — local police via Monterey County Weekly.
What is only claimed
- Social-media claims that ICE was conducting an operation in King City on Oct. 21 are contradicted by the King City Police Department's statement; the Rapid Response Network says fake ICE reports, including AI-generated images, have sharply increased in the region.