photo credit: Shandra Back
Sonoma County activists hold signs calling for a county non‑collaboration ordinance during an October rally.

Tensions over immigration enforcement reached a boiling point at this week’s Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting, where several immigrant‑rights activists were detained for disrupting the proceedings.

In the end, county officials passed a new non‑collaboration ordinance.

The disruption began when a group of activists stood and started singing inside the board chambers as supervisors debated a long‑anticipated ordinance limiting how county departments interact with federal immigration authorities.

Advocates have spent more than a year pushing for a stricter sanctuary policy that would end all local cooperation with ICE, especially from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

That agency is currently the only county department that shares information with federal immigration officials in limited circumstances involving people arrested and booked into the county jail.

Under state law, sheriffs are independently elected and have discretion over whether to respond to ICE requests.

“If a sheriff chooses to do something, whether it's cooperate with ICE or any other policy within the sheriff's office, that is within the sheriff's purview,” said Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram.

County officials say the new ordinance consolidates existing practices, prohibiting county employees from assisting with immigration enforcement, banning ICE from using county property, and affirming that the county does not collect or share immigration status unless required by law.

Supervisor Chris Coursey, who earlier this year called for cutting all ties with ICE, said he supports the ordinance but that it still falls short.

“It's a good starting point,” Coursey said. “But it's clear from what we've heard today that there's a pretty large contingent of our community that feels that this doesn't go far enough.”

Coursey asked the board to bring forward a resolution directing the sheriff to cease all collaboration with ICE.

“We don't have power to order,” Coursey said. “We always have the ability to ask.”

But the rest of the board did not support the idea. Supervisor David Rabbitt said the county must be “truthful” and not give “false hope.”

The exchange prompted a disruption from eight advocates.

Renee Saucedo, leader of the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition, said that after they left the chambers, they were handcuffed, charged with interrupting a public meeting and given citations and court dates.

After the disruption, supervisors returned and unanimously approved the amended ordinance on its first reading.

Advocates say they’ll continue pushing the county, and the sheriff, to adopt a full non‑collaboration policy.