End Orange County Sheriff's Department Transfers of Community Members to ICE
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes
A new report from the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice found that the Orange County Sheriff's Department transferred 239 community members to ICE in 2025 — the highest number since the California Values Act became law. Transfers have climbed every year since 2022, disproportionately impacting Mexican and Vietnamese residents. Thirty-six people were transferred over misdemeanor charges. Twenty-six were transferred based on convictions from over 20 years ago.
OCSD remains one of the few sheriff's departments in California that still voluntarily hands people over to ICE — a practice that research shows erodes trust in government, discourages families from accessing health and education services, costs taxpayers money, and now carries even graver consequences as federal agencies escalate due process violations across the country.
OC Sheriff Don Barnes has the power to end this. He should use it.
Sponsored by
To:
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Sheriff Barnes,
I am writing to urge you to end the Orange County Sheriff's Department's voluntary transfers of community members to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Data obtained through public records requests shows that OCSD transferred 239 people to ICE in 2025 — up from 228 in 2024 and 221 in 2023, and a dramatic reversal from the 17 transfers recorded in 2022. These transfers disproportionately affect Mexican and Vietnamese residents, include people charged only with misdemeanors, and include people whose convictions are more than two decades old.
This voluntary collaboration makes Orange County less safe, not more. It discourages residents from reporting crimes, seeking medical care, and enrolling their children in school. It costs local taxpayers resources that could be invested in public services. And it places community members in the hands of federal agencies that are actively undermining due process protections.
The vast majority of California sheriff's departments have chosen not to conduct ICE transfers. Orange County should join them.
I call on you to:
End all voluntary OCSD transfers of individuals to ICE custody;
Increase transparency by publicly reporting data and costs associated with ICE collaboration; and
Invest in legal representation, know-your-rights education, and rapid response resources for impacted community members.
Our communities deserve better. Act now.
This petition is issued as part of the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice's nonpartisan policy and education mission. It does not constitute an endorsement of or opposition to any candidate for public office.