CALIFORNIA — California jails failed to comply with over 13,000 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests in a span of 2½ years, marking the highest rate of non-cooperation with federal immigration authorities among all states, according to newly released federal data.
The figures, obtained and analyzed by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and reported by Breitbart, cover the period between October 2022 and February 2025. During that time, more than 13,000 detainers were declined by California facilities — accounting for 52% of all rejected ICE detainers nationwide.
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- 2 Fact Check: ICE Raid in Texas Detained Over 40 People, Including Minors, During Alleged Gang Crackdown
- 3 California Man Sentenced in Fatal Shooting of Alleged Trespasser in Cal City
- 4 Santa Clara County Among Top Offenders
- 5 “California’s Policies Force ICE Into the Streets”
- 6 The Sanctuary State Landscape
- 7 Local Pushback Against Statewide Policies
- 8 Implications for Federal Enforcement
An ICE detainer is a formal request issued to local or state law enforcement to hold an undocumented individual for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release, allowing federal agents to take custody for potential deportation.
Santa Clara County Among Top Offenders
One of the most significant offenders cited in the report is Santa Clara County’s main jail, which released nearly 3,000 individuals without adequately notifying ICE. This included six individuals with homicide convictions, matching the highest total for any single facility in the report, alongside Illinois River Correctional Center.
Other jails with similarly troubling statistics include Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois, which released five individuals with homicide records.
“California’s Policies Force ICE Into the Streets”
Critics argue that these sanctuary policies are making communities less safe. Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at CIS, emphasized the strain placed on federal enforcement efforts.
“To those wondering why ICE has to operate on the streets of Los Angeles to arrest criminal aliens, it’s because California jails have failed to honor more than 13,000 detainers in the last 2.5 years,” Vaughan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Sanctuary State Landscape
California has served as the nation’s largest sanctuary state since October 2017, following legislation signed by then-Governor Jerry Brown. Sanctuary states limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities — a policy that has sparked heated legal and political debates.
In total, eleven states and the District of Columbia have sanctuary policies in place. The CIS report noted that these jurisdictions have collectively declined over 25,000 ICE detainers, including more than 1,400 cases where ICE was not even notified of releases.
Other notable sanctuary jurisdictions highlighted in the report include:
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Illinois: Expanded protections in 2019 under Gov. JB Pritzker.
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New Jersey: Declared sanctuary status via executive directive from then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in 2019.
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Massachusetts: Became a de facto sanctuary state following a 2017 court ruling, with municipalities like Cambridge further restricting police interactions with undocumented residents.
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Virginia and Connecticut: Reported high rates of detainer denials, though specific figures were not disclosed in the summary.
Local Pushback Against Statewide Policies
While California’s sanctuary laws remain in place, they have faced increasing opposition. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), at least 16 cities and counties in Southern California have filed lawsuits or passed ordinances opposing the state’s sanctuary policies, arguing that they hamper law enforcement and endanger residents.
Implications for Federal Enforcement
ICE officials say the refusal of detainers complicates their efforts to detain and deport individuals with criminal records. Without jail cooperation, agents are forced to conduct arrests in public spaces — increasing risks for both officers and civilians.
As debate over immigration enforcement continues to escalate ahead of the 2024 elections, sanctuary jurisdictions remain a flashpoint between state autonomy and federal authority.
