ICE Operations and Protests

The Department of Homeland Security is pressing Gov. Gavin Newsom to commit to honoring more than 33,000 active ICE detainers — which DHS pegs at 33,179 criminal noncitizens and says included 4,561 people released statewide since Jan. 20, 2025 — after a Feb. 2, 2026 incident at Ventura County Jail where agents attempting to arrest Jorge Lopez Santos, after the jail declined a detainer, were allegedly surrounded and assaulted by about 15 anti‑ICE protesters. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin made an on‑the‑record appeal tying the confrontation to the demand, while Newsom’s office replied that California has transferred over 12,000 people to ICE since 2019, including murderers and rapists, and says the state does not "harbor criminals" but aims to protect victims and witnesses.