In 2025, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office transferred 43 individuals into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody whereas in 2024, they transferred only 13 individuals. These figures are a portion of the 87 individuals recorded by the department as having been transferred to ICE custody. While the data offers a snapshot of recent ICE transfer activity, it may not capture every transfer in which individuals may have been moved between local law enforcement systems and ICE.
According to ICE’s official website, detention by the agency is non-punitive and is separate from criminal punishment or incarceration. The agency asserts that custody decisions are made based on limited resources and exercised to protect national interests and security.
ICE also provides an Online Detainee Locator System, which permits the public to search for individuals over the age of 18 who have been detained by ICE for over 48 hours by name, country of birth, birth date or an assigned Alien Registration Number. However, the locator does not account for minors and individuals may not immediately appear in the system following a transfer. This delay can impede family and friends’ abilities to determine where a loved one is being detained, as well as make it more difficult for legal service providers to promptly assist detained individuals and their families.
Local responses to the nationwide immigration crackdown have varied across various businesses and departments. The City of Riverside provides publicly accessible information on individuals and employers’ rights, affirming that “Everyone in Riverside has rights, no matter their immigration status.” The emphasis on access to accurate legal information, regardless of one’s immigration status, have created a supportive community where individuals hold a strong understanding of their rights, as well as how local systems intersect with federal immigration laws.
On Jan. 30, thousands of individuals mobilized to protest against the expansion of ICE operations and anti-immigration policies in the country following a series of high-profile incidents and killings involving federal immigration enforcement. The incidents include the Jan. 7 killing of Renée Nicole Macklin Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during a federal ICE operation, as well as the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti during a protest against ICE mass deportations.
In light of ongoing local and national concerns about immigration enforcement, local community organizations and individuals in Riverside County continue to provide resources to support residents and their families affected by the nationwide immigration crackdown and ICE operations. Additionally, the City of Riverside firmly maintains that it “does not share immigration status information with federal enforcement agencies unless required by law or a judicial warrant,” reassuring citizens that the city’s policies are intended to protect residents’ privacy and prevent the local law enforcement system from having to engage with federal immigration operations outside of what it required by local and federal law.
