Overview
- The Monterey County Jail was placed on a temporary lockdown that suspended new bookings and inmate releases and closed public visitation except for attorneys.
- Video and on-scene reporting captured people identifying themselves as ICE agents saying they were conducting a targeted operation and waiting to take one or more people into custody.
- A tense exchange between Supervisor Wendy Root Askew and an individual identifying as an ICE agent was recorded as county leaders told agents the jail would not release people where federal officers were present.
- The Sheriff’s Office said it had not been notified, could not verify the agents' identities or the operation’s purpose, and took lockdown measures out of an abundance of caution.
- The lockdown ended after about three hours with normal releases proceeding, and the episode highlights recurring friction over federal operations at county jails and Monterey’s September policy limiting the use of county property for civil immigration enforcement.