SAN JOSE, California — Immigration advocates reported seeing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents inside the lobby and outside Santa Clara County's Main Jail in San Jose on Sunday, apparently waiting for people to be released, the San Francisco Focal reported on Monday, October 26. Members of the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network said they went to the jail on Hedding Street on Sunday morning to monitor and document the activity.
The Sheriff's Office says it does not coordinate with ICE and does not provide release dates, the Focal reported. In a community update issued last week, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said federal agents have periodically visited its jail facilities for more than a year, that it does not notify ICE about upcoming releases and does not enforce civil immigration detainers under California's Values Act (SB 54) and county policy, and that ICE agents, like any member of the public, may legally be present in publicly accessible areas of the facilities.
The department has tracked ICE visits to the jail lobby for more than a year and says agents have taken 60 people into custody when they were due to be released, according to the Focal. Separately, the East Bay Times reported that ICE officers have detained at least 46 people outside Santa Clara County's main jail since June 2025, using publicly posted release lists, and that about 80 protesters gathered last week outside the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas over the practice. The two figures cover different periods and counting methods and are reported here as each outlet stated them.
Source: East Bay Times — Jails a prime source for arrests by ICE
Sunday's report came a day after advocates monitored ICE agents at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas for a third consecutive day, the Focal reported. Santa Clara County is designated a sanctuary county, but that status does not bar federal agents from waiting in public areas of a jail. ICE had not responded to a request for comment on Sunday's reported activity, the Focal said.
Advocates say monitoring release points helps document enforcement activity and support people who may be affected, according to the Focal. The Rapid Response Network says its members observe and document immigration enforcement so that agents' actions are witnessed.