The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the unanimous vote by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to adopt a critical “ICE-Free Zones” policy that prohibits the use of county-owned property for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, along with a countywide immigration enforcement response plan.
SEE: ICE-Free Zones Policy and Countywide Response Plan
The measures, championed by Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, passed at the Board’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27, marking a decisive commitment by Alameda County to protect immigrant communities amid a nationwide escalation of federal immigration enforcement actions.
Under the new “ICE-Free Zones” policy, county-owned and county-controlled properties—including parking lots, garages, vacant lots, and nonpublic areas of county buildings—may not be used as staging areas, processing locations, or operational bases for ICE. The policy directs the County to post clear signage, use physical barriers such as locked gates, and establish procedures requiring county staff to report any federal attempts to use county property for immigration enforcement to the County Administrator’s Office, County Counsel, Public Safety Offices, and the Board of Supervisors.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Policy Coordinator Musa Tariq said:
“This Board’s vote makes clear that Alameda County stands with its immigrant residents and opposes tyrannical federal raids that tear apart families and sow fear. This is not a distant issue. It’s about the day-to-day reality for immigrants who live, work, and raise families here. Alameda County has taken a stand; now other local governments must follow.”
The vote comes amid broader regional and national movements to designate public spaces as off-limits to ICE and unauthorized federal immigration enforcement. Similar policies have been adopted in other Bay Area jurisdictions, including San José and Santa Clara County, and reflect the sustained, grave concern over militarized ICE violence across the country.
Public support for the resolution was strong: more than 50 members of the public delivered comments in favor of the measures, and faith and community organizations spoke in solidarity with immigrant families. Advocates urged the Board to go further in protecting vulnerable residents and to oppose other forms of immigration enforcement infrastructure, such as the reopening of the FCI Dublin jail as a detention center.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, ladam@cair.com