The Marin County Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss and possibly vote on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on a county policy limiting how federal immigration agents can use county property, staff and data, after a coalition of residents packed the board's Tuesday, Oct. 13, meeting in San Rafael to demand a stronger, binding "No ICE" ordinance instead, KTVU and the Point Reyes Light reported.

What the county's proposal would do

According to the county's announcement, as reported by San Rafael Patch, the proposal would:

  • Bar federal immigration agencies from using county-owned or county-controlled property as staging areas, processing sites or operating bases, except where the law requires it.
  • Require federal officers seeking entry to nonpublic county facilities to show a judicial warrant or other legally sufficient authority.
  • Reinforce limits on sharing confidential county-held information for immigration enforcement.
  • Require county employees to report enforcement activity on county property to the County Executive within 24 hours of learning about it.
  • Require the Sheriff's Office and Probation Department to report monthly to County Counsel on their contacts with federal immigration officials.

County officials told Patch the policy largely formalizes practices already in place. The county also noted it cannot regulate federal immigration operations directly or keep federal officers out of public places, but it can control access to nonpublic buildings and how its own resources are used.

Resolution or ordinance: the sticking point

The "No ICE in Marin" coalition, which KTVU said is made up of 16 community groups, says it has gathered more than 10,000 signatures and wants an ordinance that "actually has the force of law," as Sonia Parecadan of the Marin Democratic Socialists of America told supervisors. Coalition co-leader Curt Ries told KTVU that Marin is one of two Bay Area counties that has neither passed an ICE-free ordinance nor declared itself a sanctuary county. Ries told Patch the campaign launched more than a year ago and that coalition members had attended nine board meetings.

County Executive Derek Johnson told KTVU that state law already bars ICE from using local resources, and that a policy resolution takes effect immediately and can be adjusted quickly if federal enforcement changes. "The reality is half of the counties are a resolution, half of them are an ordinance," he said. Johnson also pointed to added county money for rent and income help for affected families and for the Public Defender's Office. Patch reported supervisors added $1 million this year for immigration legal services, emergency aid and the Marin Rapid Response Network, bringing the county's two-year total to $1.5 million.

The Point Reyes Light put Tuesday's crowd at about 100 people. Speakers argued a policy alone would not carry an ordinance's legal protections, and Supervisor Brian Colbert told the crowd he stood with them, the Light reported. The meeting ended with the crowd singing "We Shall Overcome" as supervisors left the chambers.

How to follow the Oct. 20 meeting

KTVU said county staff plan to post the text of the proposed resolution online by Thursday, Oct. 15. The board meets in Room 330 of the Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael, with remote participation by Zoom or phone, according to Patch. Patch listed a 9 a.m. start and KTVU said 9:30 a.m., so check the posted agenda for when the item comes up.

Other Bay Area governments have taken similar steps; see our coverage of Alameda's limits on immigration enforcement on city property and the Gilroy detention facility fight.