There’s been a sharp rise in ICE transfers by Fresno sheriff. What we know
The number of people the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office transferred to federal immigration officials continued to grow exponentially in 2024, according to figures provided Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office detained and transferred 102 people to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2024, more than double the 39 people it transferred in 2023.
The total in 2024 was also more than five times as many undocumented immigrants who were transferred to ICE in 2022.
Sheriff John Zanoni said all 102 transfers in 2024 were accused of felonies, which included 52 alleged crimes against people, 41 against property, six drug-related crimes and three sex crimes.
He said ICE requested holds on 389 people in custody. There were 26,214 bookings in all of last year. No ICE interviews were conducted in Fresno County’s facilities.
Zanoni’s annual report is required under 2017’s Senate Bill 54, known as the TRUTH Act.
The sheriff has criticized SB 54, saying the lack of communication with ICE becomes a public safety issue. He noted the transfers in his report came during the Biden Administration.
“This isn’t about politics. This is about public safety,” he said during a Tuesday presentation. “I want to ensure that, and just as a reminder, these stats are from last year.”
Immigration enforcement has ratcheted up since President Donald Trump took office, and caused significant uproar earlier this year in the San Joaquin Valley when U.S. Border Patrol agents were spotted making arrests.
A three-day Border Patrol operation in Kern County in January resulted in 78 arrests. The deportation raids stirred fear for many Valley families and children, and sparked at least one lawsuit and several protests.
But Zanoni stressed his deputies aid people living in the region no matter their immigration status, saying deputies do not ask anyone reporting a crime about their status.
“Our transfers have nothing to do with contacts out in the community where ICE was called to a residence or a school or anything like that,” he said. “These individuals are booked and have been held in the Fresno County Jail on serious felonies.”
Supervisor Luis Chavez said he wanted the county’s message to be balanced, saying immigrants who commit crimes are a small percentage of the overall population. The vast majority of immigrants come to work and raise a family.
“I think we also want to send the message that people that just come here to work, we’re not going to be asking their documentation status,” he said. “That is the federal government’s job, not a local job.”
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 2:12 PM.
