Santa Clara County is tightening access to one of its jails after a week of immigration agents waiting outside for people being released.
The new rule
On Friday, the sheriff's office announced that the parking lot and lobby at Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas would be limited to people with direct business there, NBC Bay Area reported. The station said the change responds to the rise in ICE activity, including an incident this week in which an officer used a Taser. (Our earlier story: ICE agents at Elmwood jail.)
What observers are seeing
Observers told San José Spotlight that about 10 to 12 agents have been seen every day for the past week at Elmwood and at the Main Jail in San Jose. They have stood in lobbies, waited in parking lots and driven around county offices. About 70 people have been detained by federal agents near county jails since June 2025, according to the sheriff's office.
Sheriff's spokesperson Brooks Jarosz said the department cannot interfere with another law enforcement agency. “ICE agents, like any member of the public, may legally be present in publicly accessible areas of our facilities,” he told Spotlight. He said the county does not plan to lock down the jails but is reviewing security.
Limits of the ICE-free zones
Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who led the county's policy barring ICE from county facilities, said it covers property that isn't open to the public, such as staff parking lots, but not jail lobbies or public lots. “I'm very concerned that a Taser had to be utilized in this apprehension,” she told Spotlight.
Raj Jayadev of Silicon Valley De-Bug called the zones “a complete fantasy.” Jeremy Barousse of the county's Rapid Response Network told NBC Bay Area the larger presence before the election is “very consistent with what we're seeing up and down the state.”
County leaders said Friday they would keep their non-cooperation policies. “With Election Day next week, we are committed to ensuring all citizens are able to freely and safely cast their vote,” they said.